


Informant

by yoshizuras



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Secret Relationship, ryugoro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-07-28 22:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16251164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoshizuras/pseuds/yoshizuras
Summary: Ryuji/Akechi. Shortly after Madarame's change of heart, Akechi comes to Ryuji with evidence of his fingerprints on the Phantom Thieves' Calling Cards. Without much of a choice otherwise, Ryuji agrees to Akechi's deal of teaching him about the Phantom Thieves' justice in exchange for keeping quiet about it. Now that he's Akechi's informant of sorts, Ryuji vows to get revenge on the Detective Prince for blackmailing him. Unfortunately, that's not easy to do when the person you thought you despised turns into someone who is impossible to hate.





	1. Pancakes

Ryuji made his way down the hallway of the TV station, annoyed but glad he didn’t have to come back the next day. He had to deal with rude cameramen, a bossy director, and even worse, Goro Akechi.

 

It pissed him off every time he thought about the way Akechi discredited the Phantom Thieves on live TV. They had worked so hard to stop Kamoshida and Madarame, and they had even saved a lot of people in the process. What right did Akechi have to call them criminals? 

 

Ryuji had a nagging feeling that Akechi’s words bothered him so much because he had made a decent point. Changing people’s hearts was dangerous. Regardless, he shoved that feeling down and decided that focusing on Akechi’s irritatingly high and mighty attitude was a better idea. He was a celebrity jerk and that was all there was to it.

 

Akechi’s words didn’t matter because they were going to continue on as the Phantom Thieves and help as many people as they could. They might even become famous enough to make Akechi regret his words. Ryuji figured seeing the usually composed Akechi become apologetic would be nice.

 

He continued down the hallway, ready to go home for the day. He was confident that he should continue his work as a Phantom Thief, no matter what anyone said about them.

 

“You’re Ryuji Sakamoto, correct?”

 

Ryuji heard his named called and knew exactly whose voice it was. He made no effort to hide the scowl on his face as he turned around.

 

“Yeah, that’s me. What do you want, Akechi?”

 

Akechi smiled in his usual camera-ready manner. “Did I catch you at a bad time? There is something I’d like to speak with you about.”

 

Ryuji scrunched up his nose. “I don’t wanna talk to you.”

 

Akechi’s smile faded slightly. “I’m certain you will change your mind once you understand what it is I want to discuss.”

 

Ryuji kept walking away. “Not interested.”

 

His hand reached for the doorknob, expecting Akechi to leave it at that. What he wasn’t expecting was for Akechi to swiftly move in between Ryuji and the door, blocking his exit. He held up two cards in his gloved hand, adorned in black and red coloring, complete with glued on newspaper letters to keep it anonymous. Phantom Thief Calling Cards.

 

Ryuji didn’t like where this was going. He felt his body tense up, though he did what he could to hide it.

 

“Now,” Akechi started, his face close enough to where Ryuji could feel his breath. He thumbed at the cards in his hand. “You know what these are, don't you?”

 

“W-What are those?” Ryuji stuttered, trying to play dumb. “Love letters?”

 

Akechi didn’t look amused as he held up each card. “I would assume not, considering that the Phantom Thieves wrote them. This is Kamoshida’s, and the other is Madarame’s.”

  
At a loss of how to handle the situation, Ryuji shakily continued his act. “Why the hell are you showing me that?”

 

Akechi no longer wore his pristine, TV smile. Ryuji could tell for sure, now that the distance between them was so short. A small part of him felt intrigued at the unsympathetic, tired-looking Akechi that was exposed to him now, but any of that curiosity was far overshadowed by his panic at this conversation. 

 

“Listen, Ryuji,” Akechi began, his voice tense and losing its patience. “Your fingerprints are all over these cards.”

 

“Fingerprints?” Ryuji blurted out, more confused than nervous.

 

His eyes darted down to the cards in Akechi’s hands and it started to click together. _Oh_ , he thought, _I was the one that handled those_. 

 

Ryuji foggily remembered a time before posting Madarame’s card when Yusuke had told him to put gloves on… but he forgot. He was feeling really frustrated with himself for not thinking about the police checking the cards for fingerprints.

 

“So what?” Ryuji said, putting up a brave front. “I touched them, but so did a bunch of other people. It’s a coincidence.”

 

Akechi crossed his arms. “It was not ‘ _a bunch of other people’._ Your fingerprints are the only ones that appear on both sets of cards. I would believe it to be a coincidence if they only appeared once, but they are, quite literally, on every spot of these cards.”

 

 _Shit_. Ryuji mentally scolded himself.

 

“Did you seriously not consider wearing gloves while making these?” Akechi smiled again, this time triumphantly. “Are the Phantom Thieves this foolish?”

 

“We’re not!” Ryuji snapped at him, offended. 

 

At that, Akechi looked even more smug than before. His smirk was so confident that Ryuji was tempted to kick his face in. Then, it dawned on him that he had just admitted to being a Phantom Thief. That was plenty of reason for Akechi to celebrate.

 

“Oh,” Ryuji said quietly. 

 

“Well, that’s settled,” Akechi stated, carefully sliding the Calling Cards back into his pocket. “Do you feel willing to continue this conversation somewhere more confidential?”

 

“Like where?” Ryuji asked, knowing the situation was hopeless. “The police station?”

 

Akechi opened the door behind him and began walking out. “Of course not. They have no idea about this.”

 

Ryuji blinked in surprise. “What…?”

 

Akechi stopped to peer back at him. “If you’d like me to keep it that way, I’d suggest you follow my lead.”

 

With that, Akechi continued on towards the subway station. Without much of a choice otherwise, Ryuji followed.

* * *

 

 

They arrived at a fancy-looking apartment complex, the sort of place that only people with a lot of money to spare could afford. It wasn’t a long ride to get there, but for Ryuji, it felt like an eternity. He didn’t know what to say while Akechi had him wrapped around his finger like this. Though he might have been imagining it, it gave him some comfort to realize that Akechi seemed like he didn’t know how to make conversation either. He never would have guessed it for how comfortable Akechi looked chatting with complete strangers on TV.

 

“We’re here,” Akechi said as he was entering the building. 

 

“Yeah?” Ryuji questioned, tagging along. “But where’s ‘here’? Why are we at an apartment complex?”

 

“This is where I live, of course,” Akechi said dubiously, as if Ryuji were a small child.

 

Ryuji furrowed his brows. “Wait… you _live_ here? Damn, you really are rich…”

 

“Not as much as you might believe,” Akechi muttered, stepping into an elevator.

 

Ryuji scoffed, getting in beside him. “Trust me, you’re loaded. My mom and I are in this tiny, run-down looking place near the school. It makes these apartments look like mini mansions.”

 

Akechi glanced his way. “I’m assuming your father works overseas?”

 

“I don’t have a dad,” Ryuji said sourly. “That asshole left a long time ago.”

 

They both went quiet. Ryuji could feel Akechi staring at him hard with those big brown eyes of his. Somehow, it didn’t feel as intimidating as Ryuji expected it to. Akechi seemed genuinely curious about him. Instead of acknowledging that Akechi might not be all that evil, Ryuji fidgeted and hurried off the elevator as soon as it opened again.

 

“So where’s your place at?” Ryuji looked around the new hallway. 

 

“It’s… this way.” Akechi spoke, sounding a little lost in his own thoughts. 

 

Ryuji watched him take out his keys and open the door to an apartment at the end of the hall. 

 

“Have a seat on the couch,” Akechi told him as he stepped inside and knelt down to pull off his shoes. “This won’t take long.”

 

Ryuji did the same and awkwardly made his way over to the modern looking couch in the center of the room. “Alright…” 

 

While he waited for Akechi to set his things down and take off his coat, Ryuji let his eyes wander around the room. It was very clean, with everything placed neatly where it should go. There was a kitchen to the side that looked almost dusty, and Ryuji wondered if Akechi even knew how to cook. His apartment was so tidy that Ryuji would have guessed that no one lived there. The only sign of it being lived in was the distinct scent of cinnamon and coffee in the air that Ryuji was learning to associate with Akechi’s presence.

 

“Now then,” Akechi said, sitting down next to him. “I’d like to make a deal with you, Ryuji Sakamoto.”

 

“A deal?” He asked, leaning back into the couch. “What kind of deal?”

 

“I have enough evidence to get you arrested. You would be prosecuted as the leader of the Phantom Thieves and likely sent to jail for your actions, seeing as the police are in a hurry to shut you all down.”

 

“I ain’t the leader,” Ryuji grumbled.

 

“Yes, I figured out that much. You’re too much of an idiot to be the leader.”

 

“What?!”

 

Akechi cleared his throat. “Regardless, that isn’t a favorable outcome for me. I’m more interested in the truth of the matter, and at this point, my desire is more aligned with understanding the Phantom Thieves as opposed to seeing them messily arrested.”

 

Ryuji set his lips in a hard line. “I’m not telling you who our leader is.”

 

“I wasn’t asking you to,” Akechi assured him. “Besides, given ample time, I could deduce that on my own.”

 

“Cocky as always…” Ryuji grumbled with a bitter expression. “So then what do you want from me?”

 

“Information,” Akechi said.

 

“‘Eff that,” Ryuji growled in a knee-jerk response. “I’m not ratting everyone out.”

 

“That isn’t what I’m asking for either.”

 

Ryuji squinted at him, baffled. “Okay, you lost me, Detective Prince. What the hell are you asking me to do?”

 

Akechi leaned in a little closer as if trying to demonstrate his seriousness in the matter. Ryuji instinctively moved back, instantly becoming aware that they were alone in an apartment together. It’s not like Akechi scared him, but something about it made him feel awkward.

 

“I’d like to know more about the Phantom Thieves in general,” Akechi continued. “As in, what your goals are, how you plan your missions, and the strategies you use to succeed in triggering changes of heart in people.”

 

Ryuji frowned, suspicious. “Why? Are you going to pass over what I say to the police and have them catch us in the act?”

 

“If I wanted to do that, I could turn in your fingerprints to the police and have them track you down until they got the evidence they needed. It wouldn’t be hard with how careless you are.”

 

“I’m not careless!”

 

“Not wearing gloves while handling content you’d like to keep anonymous is quite careless, I’d say.”

 

Ryuji opened his mouth to argue, but realized begrudgingly that he didn’t have a good comeback to that.

 

Satisfied, Akechi brushed back a strand of his own hair. “The best way to put this is that I have goals of my own. I’d like to make a judgement for myself on whether or not the Phantom Thieves would be an asset to my plans.”

 

“And if we’re not?”

 

He folded his hands neatly in his lap, thinking it over. “I will pretend I did not find your fingerprints and we go our separate ways as if this never happened.”

 

Ryuji clicked his tongue, troubled. “How can I trust you to hold to that promise?”

 

“You don’t have a choice,” Akechi said, pulling out the Calling Cards again. “I’m the one holding all the cards, you know.”

 

“Very funny,” Ryuji said mockingly.

 

He crossed his legs and set his arm on the armrest of the sofa as he considered all of his options.

 

“I really can’t afford to get arrested…” He said. “My mom can’t handle that.”

 

Akechi focused on his own gloves as if unable to look Ryuji in the eye. Catching Akechi’s expression from the corner of his vision, Ryuji thought he looked very human. Not like he did on TV, where all his emotions and opinions seemed rehearsed. He didn’t like being able to see Akechi this way, it wasn’t good fuel for his hatred.

 

Ryuji groaned in frustration, messing up his own hair. “Godammit, I really hate this! I don’t trust you, but this is my only option…”

 

Akechi tilted his head, watching him with that vaguely curious expression again. “Should I take this as a ‘yes’?”

 

Ryuji brought his arms back down, leaving one of them up with a fist aimed at Akechi, who paused to stare at it.

 

“Alright,” Ryuji said roughly, keeping his arm there. “I’ll take your deal, but we at least have to make it official in my eyes.”

 

Akechi looked uncharacteristically lost, as if he was dealing with a puzzle he couldn’t solve. 

 

“And what do you want me to do to assure you of that, exactly?”

 

Ryuji shook his fist at Akechi, wanting him to pay attention to it. “Here! Give me a fist!”

 

Akechi almost looked concerned. “You want me to punch you?”

 

“What?” Ryuji sputtered. “No! Give me a fist bump, man. It’s not that complicated.”

 

Akechi still didn’t seem to get it. Ryuji, annoyed but patient, kept his fist in the air for when Akechi decided to reciprocate. 

 

After a few seconds, he brought his hand up and, instead of making it into a fist, clasped it around Ryuji’s fist to hold it firmly. Ryuji stared incredulously. Akechi looked down at their hands as if he was trying to determine the meaning behind such an odd gesture.

 

“Akechi,” Ryuji started, bewildered . “What are you doing?”

 

“This isn’t what you wanted me to do?” Akechi replied, equally confused. 

 

“Do you… not know what a fist bump is?”

 

“I…” Akechi stammered, clearly uncomfortable with being caught off guard. “No. Don’t children lock their pinkies together to make a promise? It made sense that I would hold onto your fist to imitate the closing of a deal like this.”

 

Ryuji looked over their clumsily locked hands, feeling sympathetic towards Akechi in a way he would have never thought possible. He still couldn’t stand him, but damn, was it ever hard to be an ass towards a guy who didn’t have a friend to give him a fist bump. In a moment of weakness, Ryuji decided to let it go and save Akechi some face. He didn’t understand why he felt like being nice to Akechi all of a sudden. Maybe it was how annoyingly soft this guy’s hand was. It could have been the smell of cinnamon messing with his brain. Either way, Ryuji figured it would be better to get this weird situation over with as soon as possible. 

 

“Uh, this is fine then,” He said, leaving their hands as they lay instead of embarrassing Akechi further.

 

Akechi regained his composure quite nicely. “Does this make our arrangement official for you?”

 

“Almost,” Ryuji said. “Say that you’ll pretend this never happened if you decide the Phantom Thieves can’t help you.”

 

Akechi closed his eyes, repeating him as if reciting something from a book. “I promise to pretend that this never happened if I decide that the Phantom Thieves are not useful to me.”

 

“It’s done,” Ryuji declared, pulling his hand away.

 

It took Akechi a second longer to bring his own hand back to his side, but in no time at all, a pleasant smile returned to his face. He looked interview ready, and Ryuji remembered all the reasons why he disliked Akechi so much.

 

“Perfect,” Akechi said, pulling out a tiny notebook. “Then let’s get started with you telling me a little more about the Phantom Thieves.”

 

Ryuji sighed defeatedly. The sight of Akechi staring at him eagerly with a pen and notebook in hand was one he was going to have to get used to.

* * *

 

“I can’t believe we were on TV yesterday- with Akechi-kun!”

 

Ryuji snapped out of his thoughts, hearing a name he didn’t expect on the way to school that morning. 

 

“It was like a dream come true!” The girl walking in front of him continued, clearly lovestruck.

 

Ryuji scrunched up his face. What made him so damn appealing to all these girls anyway? 

 

“He’s smart and handsome,” The girl’s friend gushed on. “He’s almost TOO perfect!”

 

Ryuji snorted louder than he meant to. The girls threw a condescending look his way before hurrying ahead.

 

“He’s much better than that delinquent, Sakamoto…” The girl muttered.

 

Ryuji rolled his eyes. If only they knew that Akechi was just a nerd with a fake smile who didn’t know what a fist bump was. 

 

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and pulled it out to check his inbox.

 

_Ren: You ok? Ann and I didn’t see you after the TV station trip yesterday._

 

Ryuji felt a lump form in his throat. He was going to have to lie to Ren and he hated it. Typing up his reply, he felt animosity towards Akechi bubble up in his chest. It was all his fault that he had to sneak around Ren like this.

 

_Ryuji: Yeah, don’t worry! I was tired and went straight home._

 

Lies. Ryuji shoved his phone back in his pocket and walked into the school building. Someday, he’d get revenge on Akechi for this. He was loyal to the Phantom Thieves through and through, he wasn't going to let Akechi ruin that. 

 

Before he made it to his locker, his phone buzzed again and he felt guilt over having to make up another story for Ren. Unexpectedly, the text wasn’t from Ren this time.

 

_Akechi: Are the Phantom Thieves working today?_

 

Ryuji was visibly bothered. He’d forgotten that they exchanged numbers yesterday, and annoyingly enough, Akechi was already making good use of it. With the speed of someone fueled by hatred, Ryuji typed up a reply.

 

_Ryuji: No. Mind your own business, jerk._

 

He smugly closed his locker. He actually wasn’t sure if Ren wanted to go to Mementos today, but he’d be damned if he was going to be Akechi’s little mole for more than what was necessary. Within a minute, Akechi replied again.

 

_Akechi: How disappointing. You do know that it’s technically my business now, right?_

 

Ryuji scowled at the pompous attitude practically oozing off of the message.

 

_Ryuji: I told you from the beginning that I’m only helping you understand the P Thieves. That’s all!_

 

_Akechi: No matter. Regardless, I’d like to meet up with you again today, since the Phantom Thieves aren’t working._

 

 _Dammit_. Ryuji scratched his head, cursing himself for setting it up so Akechi could squeeze more information out of him. Feeling spiteful, he replied with an insult. 

 

_Ryuji: Whatever. You know, you aren’t as perfect as all these girls go on and on about! So take that!_

 

When he didn’t receive a fast response, Ryuji assumed he’d gotten the upper hand in the conversation and went to his classroom feeling pleased. His victory didn’t last for long, however, since his phone buzzed as soon as he sat down.

 

_Akechi: Is that what they say about me?_

 

Ryuji’s expression went deadpan.

 

_Ryuji: Uh, yeah? They’re annoying and scream about how smart and handsome you are._

 

He was taking a really long time to type out a reply to that one. Ryuji felt irritated when he imagined that Akechi was probably sitting at his desk in the prosecutor’s office, basking in the praise. Turning off his phone off until lunchtime would do some good for his sanity, Ryuji thought. So he did just that and went about the rest of his day at school. 

 

Sure enough, once he turned his phone back on at the lunch break, he had a short list of notifications from Akechi, waiting to be read.

 

_Akechi: I really am more popular than I expected to be……._

 

_Akechi: I will have to make sure my fans aren’t disappointed._

 

_Akechi: What was the pancake place you went to the other day?_

 

Ryuji raised an eyebrow at the last message. It seemed really disconnected from the other replies. Thinking back… he did remember Akechi asking about a pancake place the first time they met. Something about it felt off, but Ryuji dismissed it as one the quirks that came with Akechi being socially out of touch.

 

_Ryuji: We didn’t go to a pancake place. Just Dome Town._

 

_Akechi: Oh. I see._

 

Ryuji smiled, slightly amused. This time, it wasn’t hard to parse out that Akechi was disappointed about there not being a pancake place. Just how much did this guy like pancakes? Hoping it would get Akechi off his back, he decided to make a suggestion.

 

_Ryuji: There’s a maid cafe in Shinjuku with good pancakes. Try that._

 

_Akechi: I had no idea. Consider it part of our deal that you direct me to this place today._

 

Ryuji’s smile faded and the corner of his lip twitched in irritation. Leave it to Akechi to blackmail him into being his tour guide. He scoffed and shoved his phone back into his pocket, heading to the cafeteria to meet Ren and Ann for lunch.

 

* * *

 

“Is this what a maid cafe is…?”

 

Akechi stood at the cafe entrance, looking like a deer in headlights. Ryuji was truly beginning to understand the depths of how little Akechi knew about popular culture.

The only reason he decided to go along with this plan was that he figured it’d be fun to go to a maid cafe. Besides, he was pretty worried about Akechi finding any excuse he could to turn him in to the police. If spending an afternoon with Goro Akechi at a maid cafe would keep the Phantom Thieves from falling apart, then so be it.

 

“Yeah,” He explained, finding an open table for them to sit at. “Cute girls dressed like maids are the waitresses.”

 

Akechi was busy taking in his surroundings, obviously confused. “That’s odd.”

 

Ryuji laughed. “What is? Dude, it’s a maid cafe. Most guys are interested in this kind of thing.”

 

Akechi read over the menu, frowning. “I don’t see the special appeal.”

 

Ryuji huffed, giving up on convincing Akechi that maid cafes were appealing. Not feeling hungry enough to order anything, he watched the maids frantically run around the cafe to do their jobs. Now that he took the time to look at them closely, he was starting to think that it wasn’t anything special either. He muttered a curse under his breath, pissed off that Akechi somehow ruined maid cafes for him too. Since when did girls in maid uniforms become uninteresting to him?

 

“Hello Master~” A waitress greeted them as she stopped at their table. “What can I get for you?”

 

Akechi continued boring a hole in his menu as if he wasn’t being spoken to.

 

Ryuji observed the waitress, who was awkwardly holding a cute pose while clearly growing annoyed at Akechi ignoring her. Seeing that he would have to fix the situation, Ryuji cleared his throat.

 

“Dude,” He reached over to poke Akechi's arm. “She’s talking to you!”

 

“What?” Akechi asked, snapping out of his stupor.

 

“Master~” The girl repeated tensely. “What can I do for you?”

 

Akechi furrowed his brows. “Why are you calling me that?”

 

Ryuji coughed, realizing that this was only going to get worse with Akechi leading things. 

 

“We’ll have the pancakes.”

 

The girl relaxed, but not before throwing an icy glare at Akechi. She bowed to Ryuji and ran off to fulfill their order.

 

“This is a very strange cafe,” Akechi commented. “I prefer LeBlanc.”

 

Ryuji gave him a surprised look. “That’s Ren’s place…”

 

“Ren?” Akechi rubbed at his chin in thought. “Oh, your friend with the curly black hair. He works there?”

 

“Uh…” Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck, worried about giving Akechi too much information on his friends. “Yeah, I think.”

 

Akechi nodded to himself. “That’s good to know.”

 

Wanting to steer the topic of conversation far away from his Phantom Thief friends, Ryuji interrupted before Akechi could say anymore.

 

“Is this seriously your first time at a maid cafe?”

 

Akechi neatly set his menu to the side. “Yes, and I have the feeling it will be the last time as well.”

 

Ryuji pinched the bridge of his nose. “How do you not like this place…?”

 

Akechi drummed his fingers on the table. “Despite all the female fans I have, I honestly don’t have much interest in women. While my classmates were off getting into relationships, I devoted myself to my studies and work as a detective. That is how I prefer things.”

 

Ryuji sat there, trying to figure out if Akechi was lying. If he looked hard enough under Akechi’s detached expression, he almost seemed pained, like someone who had never been loved. With all the adoring fans Akechi had, Ryuji guessed he was just seeing things.

 

“You’ve never had a girlfriend?” Ryuji asked bluntly.

 

“No,” Akechi replied. “And to be frank, I don’t want one.”

 

“Got it,” Ryuji said, at a loss for a dignified response. 

 

Come to think of it, he never had a girlfriend either. If he went by what everyone else was doing, he should find a girl to fall in love with. That’s what he had always told himself, but he wasn’t even sure he wanted that. Hearing Akechi declare that he wasn’t interested in girls… it felt liberating somehow. It was like someone else was affirming his inner thoughts. Someone else understood how he was feeling.

 

“And you?” Akechi asked, looking back at him. “I’m assuming you have a girlfriend.”

 

“No,” Ryuji responded, stretching his arms lazily. “And I don’t really care either. Girls are nice but… I don’t know. Having a girlfriend doesn’t seem like it’s for me.”

 

Akechi watched him, surprised. Ryuji had a feeling that Akechi was just as relieved as he was. 

 

“I see.”

 

“Master~” The waitress came back with a sloppy looking plate of pancakes. “Here’s your order!”

 

Before Ryuji could asked for whipped cream, the waitress ran off, no doubt to avoid dealing with Akechi again. Figures that she wanted them out of here as soon as possible. The detective didn’t seem to care, gazing down at his plate of pancakes in awe. To his own annoyance, Ryuji thought he looked nice when he was this happy over a simple plate of food.

 

“Are you going to eat them?” Ryuji teased.

 

Akechi came up with a look of determination on his face, leaning over the table towards Ryuji, who was still not used to Akechi’s habit of throwing his face at Ryuji whenever he wanted something. 

 

“Take a picture of me with the pancakes, if you would.”

 

“W-What?”

 

Ryuji gave him a strange look, waiting for Akechi to brush it off as a joke. 

 

He should have known better. 

 

Akechi pulled out his phone and unceremoniously dumped it into Ryuji’s hand.

 

“It’s for my food blog. I’d take a picture of it myself, but this is quite the unique experience. I don’t want my readers to miss out on any detail of it.”

 

A food blog. Of all the weird details about Akechi that Ryuji was coming to learn, this one had to take the cake. Regardless, what choice did he have but to play along when Akechi was already eagerly smiling in front of his pancakes?

 

“Alright, alright,” Ryuji sighed.

 

He took care in snapping the picture for him. It was Akechi’s usual, boring TV smile. Ryuji thought that the picture would have been better if he had taken it of Akechi’s amazed face when he first got the pancakes, but he wasn’t going to suggest something so stupid to someone who could easily throw him in jail.

 

 “How’s that?” He asked.

 

Akechi took his phone back, examining the picture with a look of satisfaction. “That will do. Thank you.”

 

Not wanting to wait any longer, Akechi began eating with his usual composure. He was neat and ate slowly so as to enjoy every bite. Ryuji stole glances at him every now and then while pretending to watch the maids. 

 

Even if only slightly, Ryuji was starting to get why Akechi was so attractive to his fangirls. 

 


	2. Friendship

The day after a long trip to a Palace always left Ryuji feeling sore. The Phantom Thieves had finally made decent progress in Kaneshiro’s Palace now that Makoto was on the team, and Ryuji could have sworn they spent all night exploring it yesterday. His old leg injury acting up was a telltale sign that he was working hard. He could deal with it though, after all, their work was important, and he’d be damned if he let a little leg pain hold him back.

 

Noticing his phone buzz, Ryuji pulled it out with a good idea of who would be nagging him.

 

_Akechi: You’ve been quite busy lately. New mission for the Phantom Thieves?_

 

Ryuji scratched at his head. He wasn’t in the mood to spill all the details about Kaneshiro. Not that he would have told Akechi much anyway. Their chats were as promised, only consisting of details that wouldn’t give away the identities of the Thieves. Thankfully, Akechi didn’t seem too interested in pushing Ryuji for specific details about their work. 

 

Ryuji expected Akechi to squeeze every drop of information out of him that he could, but that was never how it went. Akechi took whatever Ryuji was willing to offer, listening in earnest regardless of what he said. Somehow… Ryuji didn’t hate it. He considered making up a bunch of fake stories to tell Akechi, but he knew better than to try outsmarting someone as clever as him. 

 

_Ryuji: Yeah. We’re targeting someone the police are gonna flip out about._

 

_Akechi: How interesting. It seems you’ve found someone dangerous this time. Meet up at Ogikubo and tell me more._

 

And there was today’s marching order. Ryuji shoved his phone in his pocket, going down to the subway station. 

 

Ogikubo… they had a really good ramen place there. He wondered if Akechi had ever been there. It’d be a nice spot to add to his food blog. As he got onto his train, he smiled to himself, thinking about the tidy and elegant Akechi trying not to make a mess with a bowl of ramen.

 

“Ryuji?”

 

Ryuji tensed as he whipped around, seeing Ren standing next to him with an inquisitive look on his face. 

 

“Ren?” Ryuji asked, trying to act natural. “Where are you headed?”

 

Ren pushed up his glasses as the train carried them towards their next stop. “Ikebukuro. Yusuke wanted to see the planetarium together.”

 

“The planetarium?” Ryuji raised an eyebrow. 

 

“Inspiration for his art, I guess,” Ren offered, though Ryuji could have sworn he looked excited about it too.

 

Ryuji flashed him a knowing grin. “It might be fun.”

 

“Yeah,” Ren said, messing with his front bangs. “What about you?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Where are you going? This is pretty far from your place.”

 

Ren didn’t seem suspicious, but Ryuji still felt nervous in a way that only someone who knew he was doing something wrong could. He didn’t want to lie to Ren, so he decided to keep his answers simple.

 

“Ogikubo,” Ryuji replied. “My favorite ramen shop is there, remember?”

 

“You’re going out for ramen today?” Ren asked, perking up. “That sounds fun. Yusuke and I could join you after the planetarium.”

 

Ryuji’s throat started drying up. Just what he needed, Ren and Yusuke showing up to catch him relaying information to Goro Akechi. 

 

“I don’t know… I wasn’t planning to stay for long. I was thinking about ordering take out to bring home.”

 

“Oh,” Ren said, disappointed. “That’s alright, we could all plan a trip together another day.”

 

Ryuji held in a breath of relief. “Yeah, sounds fun.” 

 

Once they got to the Shinjuku stop, they headed their separate ways to change trains. Ryuji felt a heavy guilt settle in his chest. Ren didn’t deserve to be lied to like this when he was one of the only people who genuinely cared about him. That damn Akechi made everything so complicated.

 

Goro Akechi was a selfish bastard who was only concerned with being famous, at least, that’s what Ryuji continually tried to convince himself of. Their relationship was temporary, and Ryuji planned to cut it off once Akechi decided he longer required his information. Ryuji would go back to being a good, honest friend with Ren, and Akechi would go back to his fancy TV lifestyle and empty apartment.

 

Ryuji frowned. 

 

Would Akechi actually have anyone to talk to if he wasn’t around? 

 

He shook his head. There was no point in worrying about it. Akechi had plenty of fans to talk to.

 

As if confirming his assumptions, Ryuji was blocked by a large crowd of fangirls as soon as he got off his train in Ogikubo. They all had their phones out, busily talking pictures while chatting about how handsome and smart someone was. Ryuji pushed his way through the crowd, annoyed. These had to be Akechi’s fangirls.

 

Sure enough, he caught a glimpse of the detective himself in the center of the crowd. As Ryuji expected, he looked the same as he did on TV, complete with his winning smile and impeccable confidence. 

 

“Thank you all for coming to see me today. It really is an honor to be greeted by my fans this afternoon…”

 

Ryuji stopped in the middle of the crowd. Something was off. 

 

He stared at Akechi’s face. His lip twitched as he spoke, like every word was forced and rehearsed. Akechi’s eyes scanned the crowd as if looking for a means of escape. His grip on his briefcase looked tight enough to break the handle.

 

Akechi hated this situation. It was obvious if you knew him well enough. 

 

More than that… Akechi looked lonely. Funny how someone who was surrounded by loving fans could look like the loneliest person in the world. It was almost painful to watch Akechi force his way through a polite conversation with a girl who kept shoving her phone in his face.

 

Ryuji’s thoughts were to leave, because hey, Akechi deserved this. He was a jerk.

 

That’s what was going through Ryuji’s mind, but his body had different ideas.

 

Gracelessly, Ryuji marched into the center of the crowd. He ignored the girls throwing insults at him. Akechi looked up at him with a mixture of relief and confusion right up until Ryuji grabbed him by the back of his shirt. Akechi’s eyes went wide once Ryuji used his other hand to grab him by the belt and hoist him up, dragging him away. 

 

In wild protest, the girls hurried behind them, some still snapping pictures with their phones. Luckily, Ryuji had a lot of former track star left in him, and in no time at all, he outran the group of girls to hide away with Akechi in an alleyway. He dropped a bewildered looking Akechi back onto his feet and leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath. 

 

That was probably one of the dumbest things he had ever done. His leg was killing him, and there was no doubt that pictures of him kidnapping Akechi would show up all over the internet. Still… Ryuji couldn’t help but feel it was a better option than leaving Akechi alone with that hoard of fans.

 

Akechi, who was slowly but surely returning to his senses, focused on Ryuji’s leg. 

 

“What’s wrong? Did you hurt your leg while running?”

 

“Nah,” Ryuji said, still out of breath. “It’s nothing. Just an old injury acting up.”

 

Akechi frowned. He set his briefcase down and clasped his hands together.

 

“An old injury… the one Kamoshida gave you?”

 

Ryuji’s lip twitched. “How did you know about that?”

 

“I did my research on Kamoshida while I was looking into the Phantom Thieves,” Akechi explained. “Evidently, much of the success behind Shujin’s volleyball team was due to his sabotage of the other sports teams, including the track team.”

 

Akechi threw a troubled glance at Ryuji and continued.

 

“I read a report about Kamoshida breaking the leg of the team’s star in an act of ‘self-defense’. That was you, was it not?”

 

“…Yeah,“ Ryuji bitterly grumbled. “It was.”

 

Akechi let out a quiet sigh, one of both affirmation and pity. “You shouldn’t push yourself so hard.”

 

“I’m doing fine!” Ryuji insisted, irritated by Akechi’s scolding. “A little leg injury isn’t going to kill me.”

 

“You could damage it beyond repair, Ryuji,” Akechi correct him, his eyes narrowing. “You’re always running around with the Phantom Thieves, and now this…”

 

“I couldn’t leave you like that,” Ryuji confessed.

 

“You handled it poorly,” Akechi argued. 

 

“What was I supposed to do when you looked so miserable back there?! Grabbing you and running was the easiest way to get out.”

 

Akechi rubbed at his arm. “I didn’t look miserable.”

 

“You did,” Ryuji scoffed. “Do you hate your fans that much? I don’t get it.”

 

“I don’t hate them,” Akechi said. “I appreciate their support.”

 

“But that’s for the ‘Detective Prince’, isn’t it? Not for the real Akechi.”

 

Akechi went quiet. Ryuji seemed to have gotten it right this time.

 

“Let’s head to the ramen shop,” Ryuji said, ignoring the limp his leg pain was causing him.

 

He started out of the alley until he felt a hand close around his wrist. He turned around and saw Akechi holding onto him while struggling to look at him directly.

 

“None of that came out correctly,” He said quietly.

 

“What?”

 

“I wanted to thank you,” Akechi added. “I truly appreciate what you did for me back there.”

 

“It’s not a big deal,” Ryuji muttered awkwardly. 

 

“To me, it was.”

 

Ryuji felt embarrassed somehow. It didn’t help that Akechi was very close to holding his hand.

 

It didn’t last much longer though, since Akechi pulled away and began walking ahead of Ryuji. He had an uncanny habit of screwing with Ryuji’s mind and then acting as if nothing happened. It was irritating.

 

“Earlier, you said something about a ramen shop?” Akechi asked, trying to lighten the mood.

 

“Yeah…” Ryuji said, following behind. “They make the best ramen in town.”

 

Akechi tapped at his chin in thought. “A ramen shop would be a nice addition to my blog…”

 

Ryuji started to smile, despite himself. As weird as it was, he was beginning to understand how Goro Akechi operated.

* * *

 

“What’s this?”

 

Ryuji’s morning was already off to a bad start. Ann had cornered him by the vending machines to hold up a picture of him dragging Akechi out of a subway station. Luckily, it didn’t seem to make it to any big celebrity news site. It was just an odd picture that lived on some girls’ social media pages. 

 

Unfortunately, that means it made its way to Ann instead.

 

“What do you mean?” Ryuji said nonchalantly, sticking his change into one of the machines. 

 

“You know exactly what I mean!” Ann huffed. “Why are there pictures going around of you kidnapping Goro Akechi?!”

 

“I didn’t kidnap him,” Ryuji corrected.

 

Ann pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay, then what actually happened?”

 

Ryuji paused, watching his soda dispense from the machine. Lying to Ann wasn’t as scary as lying to Ren, but how was he supposed to come up with a good explanation for why he was carrying Akechi around Ogikubo?

 

“I, uh,” Ryuji stuttered. “He made me do it.”

 

“What?” Ann raised an eyebrow.

 

Ryuji cleared his throat, ready to throw out whatever random ideas popped into his head. 

 

“I always go to Ogikubo for ramen, right? I ran into Akechi on the way there and he threatened me.”

 

“…Excuse me?” 

 

“I’m serious! He was all ‘you must help me escape from my fans’, and I was like ‘hell no’, and then he attacked me with his briefcase!”

 

Ann went deadpan. 

 

“Goro Akechi… attacked you?”

 

“Kind of,” Ryuji lied, tapping at the ground with his shoe. “He hit me with his suitcase! It was scary! I didn’t have a choice but to save him.”

 

Ann crossed her arms, observing him. Ryuji opened his soda can, trying to act as if he didn’t just come up with the worst bullshit he had ever heard in his life.

 

“I think I know what’s going on,” Ann said.

 

Ryuji choked on his soda. 

 

“No, no you don’t!” He stammered. “There’s no way!”

 

Ann giggled, smiling in satisfaction. “I’ve known you for a while, Ryuji. You’re not that hard to figure out.”

 

Ryuji went pale. He was chugging down his whole soda can at once, hoping it would calm his nerves. Was he that obvious? Ann knew he was Akechi’s informant? Ren would kill him, but before Ren had a chance to kill him, Ann would cut him down and Akechi would finish the job for her.

 

Ann happily patted Ryuji’s back. He choked on his soda again.

 

“It’s ok,” She said. “I won’t tell anyone.”

 

Ryuji grimaced. He rubbed at his face guiltily. This was the end of the line.

 

“You don’t have to do that, Ann,” He said. “I know, I really screwed up…”

 

“You screwed up?” Ann pondered. “Wow, you’re really determined to hate Akechi.”

 

Ryuji furrowed his brows at her. 

 

“Huh?”

 

“It’s not a big deal that you’re an Akechi fan,” Ann assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Lots of guys have a thing for Akechi. It’s more common than you think.”

 

“…What?”

 

“I’m serious!” Ann insisted. “You don’t have to keep pretending that you hate him. I think it’s really nice that you helped Akechi with that crowd the other day.”

 

“Wait, Ann, you’ve got this all wrong…”

 

“Don’t even try to pull that stupid ‘Akechi attacked me with a briefcase’ story again!” Ann wagged a finger at him. “You saved him because you wanted to, right?”

 

Ryuji stiffly turned away. He guessed it was a better idea to go along with Ann’s delusions instead of trying to make up another lie.

 

“Yeah,” He admitted.

 

Ann grinned. “I knew it. You’re such a softie, Ryuji.”

 

Ryuji felt a blush creeping onto his face. “I’m not…!”

 

She laughed, and with a small wave, started walking back inside.

 

“Don’t worry,” She assured him. “I won’t tell Ren or the others.”

 

“Great…” Ryuji exhaled, sitting down on a bench. 

 

Ann thought he was an Akechi fanboy. 

 

It was better than her realizing he was giving him information, but it was still pretty bad. He hated Akechi enough to where you’d have to hold a gun to his head before he would ever call himself a fan.

 

_‘Lots of guys have a thing for Akechi’?_

 

How was that even possible? 

 

Ryuji pictured Akechi’s long eyelashes and silky hair. His soft hands and small frame that made him easy to carry.

 

Maybe it wasn’t that impossible.

* * *

 

 

It was already the end of July. They had just celebrated their success in changing Kaneshiro’s heart. The Phantom Thieves’ popularity was on the rise. Ryuji guessed he should be happy about it, but he felt a little anxious in the back of his mind. He chalked it up to the Medjed drama and all the meetings he had with Akechi lately. So he decided to do what he could to forget about his unease and enjoy his time with his friends.

 

The Phantom Thieves were on their way back from a great sushi dinner, so what good would it do to ruin his mood by thinking on his stress?

 

Ryuji was ready to rejoin the conversation with the others about sushi, but then, something else caught his eye.

 

Akechi stood in the station, observing their group with a sharp gaze.

 

 _Shit,_ Ryuji thought. 

 

The last thing he needed was for Akechi to discover him with the rest of the Phantom Thieves. There was no way he wouldn’t catch onto their identities like this.

 

Akechi’s eyes met Ryuji’s and they stood there, silently watching each other. It only took a minute or two for Akechi to approach them.

 

 _Dammit_. 

 

Ryuji began to panic internally. Akechi was going to walk right up to him and blow his cover with the others. Worried, he tried to act normal and follow along with the group. He mentally prepared an excuse as to why Akechi was acting so friendly towards him.

 

That never happened, though.

 

Akechi acted as if Ryuji didn’t exist and went straight up to Makoto instead.

 

“Nijima-san?” He called out to get her attention. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Akechi-kun…” She responded, caught off guard.

 

Ryuji let himself slip. 

 

“Akechi?” He called out.

 

 _‘You’re ignoring me?’_ was what he wanted to say. Thankfully, he had enough self control to stop at his name. He should be happy that he was pretending not to know him. There wasn’t a reason for him to feel annoyed at Akechi making a beeline for Makoto. They were complete strangers as far as anyone else needed to know.

 

It still didn’t feel right to Ryuji, though.

 

“You’re the ones from the TV station,” Akechi continued his act. “Could it be that you’re friends of Nijima-san?”

 

Ryuji saw right through him. This wasn’t typical Akechi behavior.

 

This was the Detective Prince, chasing down a lead on the Phantom Thieves.

 

Akechi went on to introduce himself to Yusuke, who seemed rightfully wary of Akechi’s intentions. Ryuji watched Akechi the entire time, hoping he would catch his eye so that he could give him a ‘ _What the hell do you think you’re doing?_ ’ look.

 

Instead, Ann noticed Ryuji’s intense staredown with an unresponsive Akechi. She looked as smug as she did whenever she knocked out a shadow. Ryuji didn’t need to ask her to know what she was thinking.

 

“Did you see that Medjed has declared war on them?”

 

That caught Ryuji by surprise.

 

“War…?”

 

Akechi looked down, not wanting to meet Ryuji’s glare. “Their website was updated just a moment ago.”

 

“For real?!” Ryuji blurted out as he searched for it on his phone. Not that it helped, since he couldn’t understand a word of what it said. 

 

Ann was more shocked than anyone else when she pulled it up on her phone. “Wait, what?!”

 

“Hm,” Akechi challenged. “Why do you seem so agitated?”

 

Ryuji turned back to Akechi. He didn’t want his friends to play these mind games with him. He knew what Akechi was trying to do, and he knew that he already had the information he needed to make sense of all this. To annoy him, Ryuji hastily lied.

 

“She’s a huge fan of the Phantom Thieves. A total nutjob for ‘em.”

 

Akechi’s icy glare back at Ryuji created enough tension between them to be cut with a knife. He forced a killer smile on top of that and Ryuji felt chills down his neck.

 

“Hm,” He said. “I don’t know how wise it is to be a fan of groups like them.”

 

Ryuji tuned him out for the most of the conversation. It was really ticking him off that Akechi was playing dumb just to scare his friends. Akechi definitely figured them out, but instead of making it known, he wanted to toy with them. And to top it all off, he took the most interest in playing around with Ren.

 

“Sorry to disappoint,“ Ryuji said curtly, cutting him off from asking Ren anymore questions. “We’re just normal high school kids.”

 

Akechi set his lips in a hard line. Ryuji bared his teeth, daring him to challenge them any further.

 

“If anything, we wanna hear what you gotta say, ‘ _Mr. Detective_ ’.”

 

At that, Akechi lost some of his usual confidence in questioning them. He went on a tangent about all of the information he knew on the Phantom Thieves, excluding their identities. That was thanks to Ryuji, of course. Not that he would say that. Either way, Ryuji was beginning to lose his patience. 

 

“In a way,” Akechi concluded. “All I’ve just said about the Phantom Thieves coincides with the group you have here.”

 

Ryuji took a step forward, unimpressed with this little game. “What, are you going to report us?”

 

Akechi tried to play innocent. “I didn’t say I was being suspicious of you.”

 

Ren had silently watched them argue for a few minutes now. To Ryuji’s misfortune, Ren seemed more interested in goading them on as opposed to getting Akechi off of their backs.

 

“Ryuji’s a Phantom Thief,” He joked.

 

“Me?!” Ryuji sputtered. “You’re siding with him?!”

 

Akechi laughed, realizing how ironic Ren’s comment was in light of the arrangement he had with Ryuji. 

 

“I wasn’t anticipating that response,” He said. “You always find a way to rise above my expectations. You really are an intriguing one.”

 

Ryuji frowned, looking between Ren and Akechi. Had they chatted before? This didn’t feel right.

 

Akechi let his eyes drift back over to Ryuji before smiling slyly at Ren.

 

“I bet,” He added. “We’d make a great team if we worked together.”

 

“What?!” Ryuji yelled. “The hell are you saying?!

 

That seemed to be the exact response Akechi desired from Ryuji. He smirked, pleased with himself, and eagerly continued on with Ren.

 

“I’m curious to hear what you have to say,” He said to him. “You seem to be a wealth of information.”

 

Ryuji was more than done with this conversation. There was no way for him to stop Ren from shaking Akechi’s hand and agreeing to be his detective conversation buddy. What was he planning to do with him? Ryuji didn’t want to wait to find out.

 

While they were going to the train to head for LeBlanc, he made up an excuse about needing to stop at the store for his mom. Ren told him not worry and they all made their way to Yongen Jaya, except for Ryuji, who ran full speed back to where they met Akechi.

 

As if Akechi knew he was going to come back, he was waiting there with a travel cup of coffee in his hand. 

 

“Ryuji,” He said. “That was faster than I expected.”

 

“Don’t give me that shit,” Ryuji growled, stopping right in front of him. “What was that all about?”

 

“I wanted to talk to your friends,” Akechi said innocuously.

 

“Don’t lie to me,” Ryuji snarled. “You knew who they were.”

 

“Of course I did,” Akechi confirmed. “You, a Phantom Thief, hanging out with so many people who are also connected to the Phantom Thieves’ cases? It’s obvious.”

 

Ryuji put his hands on his hips, exhaling slowly. “And you already figured out who our leader is.”

 

“Perhaps,” Akechi teased.

 

Ryuji’s eye twitched. “‘Perhaps’? What, am I supposed to believe you were _flirting_ with Ren back there instead?”

 

Akechi blinked in surprise. “Is… is that what it looked like? Flirting?”

 

 “Uh,” Ryuji grumbled. “Kind of, yeah.”

 

Akechi took a long sip of his coffee. He pursed his lips in thought. 

 

“Is that why you’re so angry?”

 

Ryuji scowled. “No, Akechi. I’m pissed because you’re playing these shitty mind games with my friends. You already have me, so what’s the point of bothering them?”

 

Akechi brought his hand up to his tie, loosening it a little. He looked like he didn’t want to respond. 

 

“Cut it out, alright?” Ryuji coaxed. “I’ll tell you whatever you want as long as it’s not too important. You already know who the Phantom Thieves are, so… we have a lot to catch up on, I guess.”

 

“You’re correct,” Akechi finally concluded. “I still have you, after all.”

 

Ryuji sighed and started back to the train that would take him to LeBlanc. 

 

“We’ll pick this up again later,” Ryuji said. “The others are waiting for me.”

 

“Oh,” Akechi said. “I understand.”

 

Ryuji glanced back at Akechi before he walked down the stairs. He could have imagined it, but he looked a little sad standing by himself in the middle of the station.

* * *

 

It was a nice day for the beach.

 

The only problem was that Ryuji didn’t seem to be enjoying it much. 

He felt like something was missing, and hoping to fill that void, he suggested they run around talking to girls.

 

It didn’t do a damn thing.

 

Yusuke and Ren were having a great time with those weird lobsters Yusuke bought for whatever reason, so Ryuji figured it’d be best not to ruin their fun. While Yusuke was showing Ren his new pets, he decided to try his luck at the snack bar nearby. If anything could improve his mood, it was ice cream.

 

The air conditioning inside the shop felt nice. There were colorful posters on the wall that showed all the different types of ice cream you could buy. Next to the posters were some coolers with drinks and an ice cream freezer that caught the attention of someone he knew. 

 

Ryuji did a double take.

 

Akechi stood in front of the freezer, his eyes scanning the variety of ice cream packages it contained.

 

What was Akechi doing at the beach? He wasn’t even wearing a swimsuit.

 

“Hey,” Ryuji said, sliding up next to him.

 

Akechi didn’t hear him or think he was being spoken to. He was very concentrated on determining which ice cream he wanted.

 

Ryuji rolled his eyes and pointed to a big cone with chocolate and vanilla mixed together. “That one’s pretty good. You should try it.”

 

“Is it?” Akechi pondered. “I wasn’t considering chocolate-“

 

He stopped to stare at Ryuji, finally realizing who he was talking to.

 

“Ryuji? Why are you here?”

 

“I should be asking you that!” Ryuji exclaimed. “Since when do you like going to the beach?”

 

“I’m here for work,” Akechi corrected him, reaching in the freezer. “Well, publicity, more or less. They wanted me to do an interview on the beach.”

 

“How did the interview go?”

 

“Perfectly,” Akechi said proudly. “One of my best, if I’m being honest.”

 

Ryuji smirked. “Everybody still hates you now, though. The Phantom Thieves’ craze really took over this summer, didn’t it?”

 

Akechi forced a smile. “I can’t fathom why.”

 

“It’s because we’re the good guys,” Ryuji said smugly as he grabbed a popsicle for himself. “Has our popularity convinced you that the Phantom Thieves are gonna help you out?”

 

Akechi was unamused. “I’m still on the fence about it.”

 

They paid for their ice cream and stepped outside the shop. Ryuji watched everyone enjoy the beach from afar. Ann and Makoto were busy chatting under an umbrella while Yusuke protected his lobsters from Futaba, who was in the water with Ren.

 

“You came here with the others?” Akechi asked.

 

“Yeah,” Ryuji replied. “They’re over there, looking at lobsters or something.”

 

Akechi raised an eyebrow. “I see…”

 

“Where are the interview people you came here with?” Ryuji wondered, taking a bite out of his popsicle. 

 

“They already left,” Akechi said. “They wrapped up filming and left as soon as they could. I was just about to leave myself.”

 

“For real?” Ryuji scrunched up his nose. “Come on man, summer’s almost over. You should enjoy the beach now that you’re here.”

 

“What is there to enjoy? It’s hot here and I have work to do elsewhere.”

 

Ryuji frowned. He didn’t have any good reasons to convince Akechi that the beach was fun, since he wasn’t exactly having the time of his life either. Still, it felt like a waste for him to make it all the way here and leave as soon as he came.

 

“I’m here,” He offered. “I guess that’s what makes the beach fun. Hanging out with friends, swimming together, those kinda things.”

 

Akechi gave him a long stare. Ryuji rubbed at his own mouth.

 

“What?” He asked. “Is there ice cream on my face?”

 

Akechi had a serious expression. “Are we friends?”

 

Ryuji blinked. “Where did that come from?”

 

“You suggested it,” He pointed out.

 

Ryuji thought for a second, then finished off his popsicle with a low grumble. “Shit, I did…”

 

“So,” Akechi asked again. “Clarify it for me. Are we friends?”

 

“I don’t know!” Ryuji groaned. “I didn’t mean to say that!”

Akechi closed his eyes and nodded to himself. “That’s what I assumed.”

 

Ryuji peered down at him. He remembered the lonely Akechi, frozen in front of all his fans. The Akechi in the maid cafe who confessed to never feeling love. The Akechi who stood alone with his coffee in a crowded subway station. Those all came to mind when he looked at Akechi now, who seemed to exist in a vacuum despite Ryuji being right there next to him.

 

“I can’t take it back now,” Ryuji said with a scratch of his chin. “So I guess that makes us friends.”

 

“What?” Akechi, bewildered, brought his gaze back up to him.

 

“We’re…” Ryuji slowly brought up the word, as if worried about the taste of it on his tongue. “Friends.”

 

Akechi’s expression was unreadable. “You don’t hate me?”

 

Ryuji huffed. “I don’t like you. It’s complicated.”

 

Akechi began to laugh. It was a nice laugh, a genuine one that he didn’t rehearse beforehand. Ryuji liked it.

 

“I can agree to that,” Akechi said, still trying to stop laughing. “Thank you, Ryuji.”

 

Ryuji clicked his tongue, turning his head away. “You don’t have to thank me or anything…”

 

“I believe I do,” Akechi stated.

 

His eyes looked soft and warm. It was a side of Akechi that Ryuji hadn’t ever seen before, and more than that, it was one he didn’t think existed until now. Ryuji wouldn’t have guessed in a million years that Akechi would look at him like that, earnestly and fondly.

 

“You are the first person to ever acknowledge me as a friend,” He said to him.

 

Ryuji felt the heat rise to his face. He bit at his popsicle stick and crossed his arms, hoping Akechi wouldn’t notice his blush.

 

“Some friendship we’ve made,” Ryuji commented sarcastically. “You’re blackmailing me and I want to get back at you for turning me into your little spy.”

 

Akechi licked his ice cream, satisfied. “There have been worse arrangements.”

 

When Ryuji threw his popsicle stick in the trash, he noticed a couple of sketchy looking guys approaching Ann and Makoto.

 

“Hold on,” He said. “I need to head back to the others for a minute.”

 

“It’s fine,” Akechi said. “I should be returning to Shibuya now anyway.”

 

Ryuji frowned. “You sure?”

 

Akechi finished off the last of his ice cream. “As I said, I have work to do. There is no choice in the matter.”

 

“Oh,” Ryuji said, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

“Before that, though...”

 

Akechi came up behind Ryuji and gave his back a firm pat. Ryuji yelped, rubbing at the spot he touched.

 

“You’re quite red,” Akechi noted after that little demonstration. “Put on some sunscreen.”

 

“Tch,” Ryuji growled, watching as Akechi walked off.

 

He didn’t need to be reminded to put on sunscreen… even if he really did forget it this morning. 

 

The rest of his day at the beach went by quickly. Ryuji felt like he was in a much better mood than before. He enjoyed lazing around with Ren and the others as if something had changed from this morning. Futaba was gaining more confidence in herself, Makoto and Ann were getting close, Yusuke was having fun doing his usual thing, and Ren watched over them as always.

 

For Ryuji’s part, he would never admit that talking to Akechi cheered him up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scene with Akechi and the Phantom Thieves after Kaneshiro's Palace made me laugh as I looked back at it to write this, because Ryuji really does argue with Akechi back and forth a lot! I didn't think much of it at first, but going back to it is like... Ryuji, why are you so mad at Akechi right now? Suspicious, and also, fun to think that it was because Akechi was pissing him off on purpose.


	3. Longing

They were in Hawaii, but oddly enough, Ryuji felt like he never left Tokyo.

 

He hung out with most of the same people and even ate at a Big Bang Burger like usual (which didn’t taste any different from the one in Japan). Nothing extra memorable happened, though he did find out that the Phantom Thieves were popular abroad. Hearing the positive feedback made him itch to return home and work hard in the Metaverse. This was a school trip, though, so he’d have to wait until they flew back to Tokyo tomorrow night.

 

For now, he was wandering along Waikiki Beach with Mishima. It wasn’t his first choice for “Activities I Want to Do on My Last Full Day in Hawaii”, but he owed Ren a favor. Distracting Mishima from whatever business Ren had to do today was the best way to get that done.

Unfortunately, Mishima wasn’t easy to please. Ryuji suggested swimming, but Mishima said no. He offered to help him get a girlfriend, but again, Mishima said no. Halfheartedly, he asked him to build a sandcastle with him. Mishima gave him an unamused look and sat down on the sand, refusing to get back up. 

 

He scowled as Mishima took out his phone and scrolled through the Phan Site.

 

“Sheesh,” Ryuji muttered under his breath. “Even Akechi had a better time at the beach than this…”

 

“Akechi?” Mishima said, becoming interested in what Ryuji had to say. “You mean Goro Akechi?”

 

Ryuji’s lip twitched. Of all the conversation topics for Mishima to actually take him up on, it just had to be this one.

 

“Yeah,” He said. “That Akechi.”

 

Mishima’s eyes lit up in curiosity. “You went to the beach with Goro Akechi?!”

 

“Shh!” Ryuji hissed, nervously glancing around. “Keep your damn voice down!”

 

“Sorry,” Mishima said, more quietly this time. “I didn’t know you were friends with someone as famous as him.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Ryuji grumbled, sitting down next to him. “It’s complicated, so don’t go around telling people about it.”

 

Mishima nodded eagerly, proud to be entrusted with such an important secret.

 

“What’s Akechi like when he’s not on TV?” He asked.

 

Ryuji smirked. “A nerd. An irritating one.”

 

Mishima made a face. “That’s not the answer I was expecting.”

 

“What can I say? The Akechi you see on TV isn’t all that real.”

 

Mishima tapped his chin in thought. “So… the actual Akechi is a bad person?”

 

“Nah,” Ryuji said. “He’s alright.”

 

“Huh,” Mishima said. “I always kind of wondered about him. On this one TV interview, he said that he was passed around from foster home to foster home. It must have been rough…I was thinking he might be a pretty sad person in reality.”

 

Ryuji frowned. This was the first time he’d heard of it.

 

“Akechi doesn’t have parents?”

 

Mishima shook his head. “It surprised me when I heard him say it, too. He’s a textbook rags to riches story, isn’t he? It’s like he has his whole life put together perfectly… I’m jealous.”

 

“Don’t be,” Ryuji said, hugging his knees to his chest. “Akechi’s a mess.”

 

Mishima inquisitively titled his head to the side. “What makes you say that?”

 

Ryuji stifled a laugh. “He’s clueless. He doesn’t know what a fist bump is, and when I tried giving him one, he was basically holding my hand.”

 

“Are you serious?!”

 

“That’s not all. He doesn’t like maid cafes, and he says they’re boring! He’s terrible at cooking but he keeps up with this weird food blog. He doesn’t know how to have fun since he’s obsessed with his ‘effin detective work…”

 

“Uh-“

 

“And get this!” Ryuji continued, grinning ear to ear. “We went out to eat ramen one day, and he was trying so hard to eat it all neat and proper that he accidentally knocked the whole bowl over. There were noodles everywhere, and-”

 

“It sounds like,” Mishima interrupted, knowing he wouldn’t get a word in otherwise. “You miss him, Ryuji.”

 

“What?”

 

“I mean,” He said. “You looked happy when you started talking about him. Your face usually looks kind of scary, so it’s weird to see you like this.”

 

Ryuji huffed, feeling self-conscious all of sudden. “What the hell are you going on about…? I don’t miss Akechi. That’s insane.”

 

“I don’t think so,” Mishima remarked. “It’s normal to miss someone you care about when you haven’t seen them for a week.”

 

“I don’t care about Akechi,” Ryuji argued. “He can do whatever he wants.”

 

Mishima looked annoyed. “You’re really stubborn. What if Akechi disappeared one day, and you had no idea where he went, or even if he was ok?”

 

“It’s not my problem.”

 

Mishima puffed out his cheeks. “You say that now, but if it ever happened, I think you’d be pretty upset.”

 

Ryuji rolled his eyes and laid back on the sand. “That’s never going to happen, so why should I even worry about it?”

 

“Fine,” Mishima conceded. “But remember you said that the next time he stops texting you.”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Ryuji yawned, stretching his arms above his head. “Go back to playing on your phone and leave me alone about ‘effin Akechi.”

 

Mishima scrunched up his nose in distaste, but did just that, resuming his work on the Phan Site. Lacking the energy to drag Mishima around anymore, Ryuji laid there and stared up at the clear, blue sky. The weather was great here, the scenery was amazing, and he had no complaints about the food. Why would he miss Akechi when Hawaii had so much to offer?

 

After a few minutes, his phone buzzed. He smiled to himself. If anything, Akechi missed _him_. 

 

Expecting a text from the detective, begging for information, he pulled out his phone.

 

_Ren: I won’t be back until late. Hope you had fun with Mishima._

 

Oh. It was just Ren.

 

Ryuji rolled over on his side, staring emptily at the sand in front of him.

 

When did he start becoming disappointed whenever he didn’t get a text from Akechi?

 

* * *

 

“What do you think, Akechi-kun?”

 

Ryuji turned his attention to the TV in the window of the electronics shop. It was playing the most recent news special on the Phantom Thieves. Akechi sat in a chair, appearing prim and poised for the public. He had his interview face on, the one Ryuji didn’t like, complete with a charming grin and agreeable attitude. While he knew this wasn’t a live program, when Akechi turned to face the camera, Ryuji could have sworn he was talking directly to him.

 

“I can sense some chivalry behind their actions.”

 

Ryuji didn’t read too much into it. Akechi was probably trying to save face with the public after all his criticism of the Phantom Thieves before. Guessing that the rest of the interview would be similarly scripted, Ryuji continued on his way to school.

 

Akechi hadn’t contacted him since before the Hawaii trip. He tried not to let it bother him, since not having to deal with Akechi was a good thing, right?

 

It sure didn’t feel like it. Maybe it was the fact that Principal Kobayakawa had just died, or that Morgana had run away last night, but Ryuji was feeling stressed. It wasn’t any help that Akechi was being weirdly quiet too. 

 

Ryuji pulled out his phone and began typing up a message. With everything on his mind, it only made sense that he wanted to clear the air with him. 

 

_Ryuji: Akechi._

 

 _‘What’s up’_? No, that didn’t sound right. He decided to keep it simple and to the point.

 

_Ryuji: I’m back._

 

On second thought, that sounded pretty dumb, but Ryuji had already sent it. Before he had a chance to add to it and make himself sound like less of an idiot, Akechi replied.

 

_Akechi: Aren’t you supposed to say ‘Aloha’?_

 

Ryuji sneered. That was typical Akechi, questioning everything. He wasn’t surprised when Akechi made his phone buzz again, with what Ryuji assumed would be another snarky comment.

 

_Akechi: Welcome home._

 

Ryuji expected a ‘You were there for a while’ or ‘Give me information’ from him. Anything on the demanding or demeaning side would have been normal. But ‘Welcome home’?

 

It screwed with his heartbeat. 

 

Ryuji’s mom worked long hours, so she was never around when he came home from school. He understood that it was for his sake, so never complained, doing what he could to be a good son. Still, he couldn’t remember the last time anyone welcomed him home. Not even his deadbeat dad cared while he was still around. He remembered coming in many times to the old man passed out on the couch. It was better than the alternative, of when he was drunk and yelled at them for no goddamn reason. 

 

That was all over now. The Sakamoto residence was a quiet place these days. 

 

Ryuji never asked for anyone to watch over him. He could take care of himself.

 

But, damn, did it ever feel nice for someone to look after him. Even if that someone was Goro Akechi.

 

Impulsively, without a second of thought for what was he was typing, he replied.

 

_Ryuji: Wanna meet up today?_

 

Embarrassment sunk in once he got onto the train. Why did he _want_ to see Akechi? He was being blackmailed, after all. Why the hell would he voluntarily ask for a meeting with him?

 

All of the stress was fucking up his mind worse than he thought.

 

Reluctantly, Ryuji checked Akechi’s reply.

 

_Akechi: I w_

 

Ryuji squinted. Not even a minute later, two new texts came in.

 

_Akechi: My apologies. That was a typo._

 

_Akechi: I’m too busy to meet this afternoon._

 

Ryuji bit his lip. He should be happy, not disappointed. 

 

_Ryuji: Good. I wanted to get in a workout today anyway._

 

That was a lie. When he texted Akechi, he had no other plans. It didn’t seem like Akechi liked that reply either, since he left it on ‘read’. 

 

“You look down.” 

 

Ryuji looked up to see Makoto ahead of him, offering a small wave in greeting.

 

“Is the whole situation with Morgana stressing you out?” 

 

He sucked in a breath, shoving his phone back in his pocket. “Hell no. The cat can go wherever he wants.”

 

“I know you’re more concerned than that,” She said, walking with him. “You’re not very honest with yourself, are you?”

 

Ryuji absently ran his fingers over his phone. “…Guess not.”

 

“It won’t do you any good to bottle up your feelings like that.”

 

“I’m not…”

 

“Ryuji,” She warned. “This entire situation with Morgana happened because we weren’t paying enough attention to how he was feeling. I don’t want us to make the same mistake with you.”

 

Ryuji scoffed. “I’m not gonna run away.”

 

“Probably not,” She said. “But you’re the type to do something incredibly dangerous when you’re upset.”

 

Ryuji sheepishly rubbed at his arm. Makoto wasn’t wrong. 

 

“If something’s bothering you, be sure that you tell us, alright? We’re friends.”

 

It wasn’t like he could spill his heart out about his Akechi problems, but he nodded to please Makoto anyway.

 

“Good,” She said with a smile. “No more acting tough. Depend on people when you need them, understand?”

 

“Yeah… I get it. Leaning on people and all that. No problem.”

 

Makoto looked satisfied enough. “Exactly. See you later, then.”

 

Ryuji pulled his phone back out once she disappeared up the stairs.

 

‘Depend on people when you need them’, huh? 

 

He stared at the last message he sent to Akechi.  That wasn’t gonna cut it.

 

_Ryuji: When can we meet again?_

* * *

 

“It was a badass fight, I’m telling you!”

 

Ryuji eagerly told his story while jamming at the buttons on an arcade machine. Akechi stood behind him, observing the game. Apparently, he hadn’t played any video games before they met, so Ryuji took it upon himself to teach him all that he knew. It was a busy month with all the work he had to do in Okumura’s Palace, but he was free while the Phantom Thieves waited on the change of heart to occur.

 

“Okumura kept bringing out all these robots,” He said. “It was a real pain in the ass!”

 

Akechi laughed quietly, bringing a gloved hand to his mouth. “And? Did you lose?”

 

“Yeah, right,” Ryuji snickered. “We won, like always.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Of course! The next time you see Okumura, he’ll be a changed man.”

 

Akechi seemed to tense up. He crossed his arms, his fingers gripping at the fabric of his jacket.

 

“…What if things don’t go as you planned?” He asked.

 

“Why wouldn’t they?” Ryuji replied, trying to focus on a harder level of the game. “We know what we’re doing. It happens the same way every time.”

 

Akechi held his head as if he were getting a headache. “You’re overconfident. It could be your downfall.”

 

“C’mon, you’re being picky.”

 

“I’m being realistic. You need to be more careful. Think of every possibility and ensure that no one takes advantage of you-“

 

“That’s not gonna happen,” Ryuji said, grinning when he beat the level. “I’m not the only one on the team, so the others will watch my back if anything happens.”

 

“And if your entire team is distracted?”

 

“Now you’re being _really_ picky. The last mission went without a hitch! Just because Okumura is some big, bad corporate bastard doesn’t mean that his heart can’t be changed-“

 

Ryuji stopped mid-sentence, feeling a firm, gloved grip on his shoulder. He turned his head back to look at Akechi, confused. Their eyes never met, because Akechi leaned down to softly rest his head on Ryuji’s back. 

 

“W-What the hell are you doing…?” Ryuji stuttered, not daring to move a muscle.

 

“I’m sorry,” Akechi muttered in a voice barely audible. “I’m sorry, Ryuji.”

 

Ryuji tried to ignore the way the heat was rising through his body. It rose to his cheeks and felt like fire where Akechi’s hand and forehead made contact with him. He swallowed hard.

 

“Why are you apologizing?” Ryuji asked in a voice as quiet as Akechi’s was.

 

Akechi didn’t answer him. He remained as he was, afraid to let go.

 

“Akechi?”

 

“I need to go,” He finally said.

 

Akechi released Ryuji’s shoulder and pulled his head back up, showing no trace of the vulnerability that he heard in his voice before. He forced one of his signature smiles onto his face.

 

“I’m feeling rather tired today. We’ll continue some other time.”

 

“Uh,” Ryuji managed. “Sure. No problem.”

 

Akechi broke his smile as soon as he turned away. He really did look tired, but more than that, he looked like the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. With how quickly he exited the arcade, Ryuji didn’t have a chance to ask him about it. Even if he did, he doubted Akechi would want to talk about it.

 

Ryuji rubbed at the spot on his shoulder where Akechi’s hand used to be. It still felt warm. 

 

It wouldn’t be long before he understood exactly what Akechi was apologizing for back then.

 

* * *

 

Okumura died a few days after they finished his Palace.

 

Ryuji couldn’t make sense of anything anymore. Why was this happening to them? They did everything the same as always. They were supposed to be the heroes who made Okumura confess to his crimes. Instead, the Phantom Thieves were suspected for murder.

 

Exams went by in a blur. He barely paid attention when the police came to Shujin Academy to interrogate the students. 

 

He hadn’t heard from Akechi since that day at the arcade. Ryuji assumed he was too busy or too stressed to make any time for their meetings. He had enough on his own plate to deal with anyway. Despite that, he was worried about Akechi. Something was wrong, but Ryuji didn’t know how to get someone as secretive as he was to open up. It was like kicking at a blocked door.

 

He was in the middle of a Phantom Thieves meeting, but Ryuji mentally felt very far away. He was spacing out so badly that half of the conversation wasn’t sticking, not that the blaring of an annoying government candidate’s speech throughout the city was making it any easier to listen. Makoto and Ren were saying something about the school festival and who they wanted to invite…

 

“I’m considering asking Akechi-kun,” Makoto said.

 

Ryuji instantly picked his head up.

 

“For real?!” He blurted out, almost a little too eager.

 

Makoto gave him a long, hard stare. Ann whistled innocently and twirled a strand of her hair.

 

Ryuji cleared his throat and continued, trying to control himself. 

 

“Weren’t you talking about how you didn’t wanna draw danger to us or whatever?”

 

Makoto straightened up. “I understand this is dangerous. But without a powerful source of intel, we won’t be able to win against the police network.”

 

Ryuji’s face grew pale.

 

_Shit, shit, shit._

 

_This can’t be happening._

 

Haru was considering the option. “We’re going to use him as your ‘powerful source of intel’…?”

 

“Bold move,” Morgana said. “I’m surprised to hear that suggestion coming from you, Makoto.”

 

They were actually going along with this. The Phantom Thieves were going to turn Goro Akechi into their police informant, unaware that Akechi’s own informant was sitting right there next to them.

 

Ryuji prayed that their leader would say no. After all, Ren was the only person besides him who took the time to talk to Akechi. Surely, he would think it was a terrible idea. 

 

“Should be fine,” Ren concluded, effectively killing Ryuji’s hopes.

 

“Ok then,” said Makoto. 

 

_Godammit._

 

Ryuji groaned, rubbing his temples. He needed to come up with an excuse, fast.

 

“Hold on,” He broke in. “How are we even going to get in touch with him? It’s not like we’ve got his contact info.”

 

They didn’t need to know that he had Akechi’s phone number memorized by now.

 

Futaba smirked. “We have all the data from the PC of a public prosecutor. Finding his phone number was a no brainer!”

 

_Godammit, Futaba._

 

Ryuji was screwed.

 

He let out a defeated sigh.

 

“Damn,” Ryuji said with all the energy of someone who’d lost a hopeless battle. “You’re…real impressive.”

 

He watched silently as the others prepared to bring Akechi closer to them. Makoto went about texting him while Ren and Morgana discussed how they’d get information from Akechi. Futaba went on telling Haru and Yusuke about all the interesting data she stole from Sae’s computer, including some funny pictures of Makoto. Ann threw an ‘I bet you’re happy’ smile at Ryuji, who ignored it for his own sanity. 

 

Ryuji doubted Akechi was going to go along with this. He’d known him for months, and he knew that Akechi cared way too much about his reputation as a noble detective to ruin it with the Phantom Thieves’ nonsense. There was also the fear of Akechi being present enough to where Ryuji would slip up and reveal their secret to the others. To prevent disaster, he needed to meet with Akechi asap, whether he wanted to or not.

 

While the others were distracted, he pulled out his phone and sent a message.

 

_Ryuji: I need to see you._

* * *

Ryuji knew the way to Akechi’s place pretty well by now. They’d gone there for most of their shorter meetings to avoid raising any suspicion. At some point, it became frequent enough to where a few of Ryuji’s things were left lying around, like pencils that fell out of his bag, unopened snacks that Ryuji didn’t want, or an extra pair of workout sneakers that he didn’t feel like carrying home. Akechi didn’t seem to mind, and he never moved any of the things that Ryuji forgot there. 

 

Once he reached the end of the hallway, Ryuji banged on the door to the apartment. He only needed to knock on it once, because Akechi opened the door for him right away.

 

Ryuji could tell that he didn’t have the time to carefully craft his appearance tonight. Akechi was wearing sweatpants and a plain, long sleeved shirt. His hair was sticking up slightly and he was rubbing at his eyes as if trying to get the remnants of sleep out. Ryuji guessed that the text messages woke him up from a nap. 

 

Despite that, Akechi’s attitude was as confident as ever. He leaned against the wall, observing as Ryuji walked in and threw himself onto the couch with a loud groan.

 

“I presume you’re panicking because you know about the text that Makoto Nijima sent me.”

 

“Of course I’m freaking out!” Ryuji barked. “They have no idea how much shit I’ve told you!”

 

“And they don’t need to know,” Akechi countered. 

 

Ryuji scoffed. “It ain’t that simple and you know it.”

 

“I’m serious,” Akechi said, sitting down next to him. “I’m quite skilled at acting. I can easily pretend that you and I are nothing but strangers.”

 

Ryuji frowned, forcing himself to sit up properly. He didn’t like the way Akechi said that.

 

“It’s not that easy for me.”

 

“You’ll manage. All you need to do is stay quiet while I pretend that I wasn’t already handed a great deal of information on them from their teammate.”

 

“You’re gonna turn them down, aren’t you?” Ryuji questioned, peering over at him. “You’re not an ally of the Phantom Thieves.”

 

Akechi absently drummed his fingers over his own leg. “Not yet.”

 

“‘Not yet’?”

 

“What if I said I wanted to join your team?”

 

Ryuji’s eyes widened. “Wait… what?”

 

Akechi’s jaw tightened. “I’d… like to work with the Phantom Thieves.”

 

“But… you’re the Detective Prince…”

 

“Perhaps a certain thief managed to convince me that Phantom Thieves and Detective Princes are not so different from one another.”

 

“Are you serious?!” Ryuji perked up, a smile playing on his lips. “I actually convinced you that the Phantom Thieves are amazing?!”

 

“…Somewhat.”

 

“Hell yeah!” Ryuji cheered, grabbing both of Akechi’s shoulders. “So you’re not blackmailing me anymore?”

 

Akechi stared down at Ryuji’s hands, unsure of how to react. “No, I…”

 

“Thanks, man!” Ryuji exclaimed as soon as the word ‘no’ left Akechi’s mouth.

 

Caught in the moment, he pulled Akechi into a hug, patting his back as he did so. 

 

“Y’know,” Ryuji said. “You’re not a bad guy at all. I feel stupid for ever thinking you were evil.”

 

Akechi didn’t say anything back. Worried he had hurt his feelings, Ryuji rambled on.

 

“I mean, uh, I didn’t know anything about you back then. You were just doing your job, and I hated you because I wanted someone to blame for all the stuff that was bothering me. I never really meant it.”

 

Akechi was still oddly quiet. Ryuji could feel a hand gripping at his shirt, so he pulled back enough to get a look at Akechi’s face.

 

He looked pained. His eyes were clenched shut, like he was holding back tears.

 

 _Fuck_ , Ryuji thought. _Good going, Ryuji, you’re making him cry._

 

“I seriously don’t hate you!” He assured him, trying to soften his voice. “Shit, Akechi, I’m sorry…”

 

Akechi abruptly pulled away, taking a long, deep breath. Ryuji was amazed when he came back up, his face barely showing a sign of the internal struggle he was having a mere second ago.

 

“Don’t,” Akechi spoke slowly, trying to keep his voice calm. “Apologize to me.”

 

“But-“

 

“It’s unnecessary.”

 

“Fine,” Ryuji said, not wanting to upset Akechi any further. “No more apologizing.”

 

“Good,” He replied. “Because after the school festival, I doubt you’ll be able to speak to me in the same manner again.”

 

Ryuji furrowed his eyebrows in concern. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

Akechi shook his head. “I can’t tell you. You knew from the beginning that I had goals of my own, yes?”

 

“Well, yeah…”

 

“I don’t plan to change that. My work as a detective takes priority over anything else.”

 

“So what you’re saying is that you working with the Phantom Thieves is a one-time thing?”

 

“Precisely.”

 

Ryuji scratched his head. “Tch… I get this feeling you’re going to do something annoying at the school festival that’s going to piss me off.”

 

“You’re not wrong,” Akechi said, closing his eyes. “Regardless, I assure you that I have no intention of exposing you to your friends as my informant.”

 

“So we gotta act like strangers in front of the Phantom Thieves. What else do you have in mind?”

 

“If I told you all that I was planning, I know you’d try to stop me. Since your acting leaves something to be desired, I’d prefer a genuine reaction of anger from you when the time comes.”

 

With a low growl, Ryuji turned his head away.

 

“I don’t like the sound of this.”

 

“I didn’t think you would.”

 

“Just so you know,” Ryuji said, glaring. “I’m not going to let you do anything to hurt Ren and the others.”

 

“I expected as much,” Akechi said, holding his gaze. “If you find my methods to be too risky, you’ll simply have to beat me at my own game. Can you manage that?”

 

“I can take anything you throw at me.”

 

“You’re quite confident.”

 

“Of course I am,” Ryuji smirked. “I’m used to you by now. If you do something crazy, I’m going to drag you back and kick your ass.”

 

Akechi set his lips in a hard line. He adjusted his position on the couch to face Ryuji, leaning in closer to him. By now, Ryuji knew it meant that he really wanted something.

 

“You’ll drag me back?”

 

“That’s what I said, isn’t it? I wasn’t lying or anything.”

 

“Promise me,” Akechi said steadily. “That if I take things too far, you’ll bring me back to reality.”

 

“Alright,” Ryuji responded, holding his hands up in defense. “I’ll bring you back. You don’t have to tell me twice.”

 

Akechi didn’t look convinced. For some reason, he seemed really troubled about it. He was biting at his thumbnail, lost in his own thoughts. Ryuji exhaled loudly and held up a fist in his direction.

 

“Here,” He offered. “We’ll make it official.”

 

Akechi stared blankly at it. 

 

Ryuji laughed. “You remember this, don’t you?”

 

“Of course I do…” Akechi muttered, slowly bringing his hand up to clasp it around Ryuji’s fist.

 

“It’s a deal, then. I’ll beat you at your own game. Wait and see.”

 

Akechi’s expression softened. He gently ran his thumb over Ryuji’s hand, feeling over the bumps and lines of his fingers as if hadn’t felt the touch of another person in a long time.

 

“I’ll be waiting.”

 

Ryuji grew flustered, trying to look anywhere but their hands. He could feel the heat course through his body again.

 

“Try not to do anything stupid in the first place, got it?”

 

Akechi let go of Ryuji’s hand and folded his own hands into his lap. “I can’t promise you that.”

 

“Figures,” Ryuji grumbled, standing up.

 

Akechi peered up at him. “Are you heading home for the night?”

 

“Yeah,” He said, checking his phone. “It’s getting late.”

 

“I suppose it is.”

 

Akechi laid down on the couch, closing his eyes as if ready to fall back asleep at any moment. He looked peaceful that way, without any of the burdens that Ryuji saw him carrying during the day. Some part of him wanted to see more of Akechi like this.

 

“I’ll see you at the school festival the day after tomorrow, I guess.”

 

“Look forward to it,” Akechi said.

 

Ryuji huffed. “You sure as hell aren’t making it easy for me to do that.”

 

Akechi opened one eye as he turned his head to Ryuji’s side, his bangs messily falling over his face.

 

“Don’t you always look forward to seeing me?”

 

Ryuji scoffed, blushing despite himself. “Hell no…”

 

“Oh? I always look forward to seeing you.”

 

“Huh?” Ryuji sputtered out. “Quit making things up!”

 

“I’m being honest,” Akechi said with a tired smile. “I’ll miss these talks of ours.”

 

Ryuji sheepishly rubbed at his neck. “It’s not like we won’t be able to do this again after you join the Phantom Thieves…”

 

Akechi rolled over on his side so that his back was facing Ryuji. “I wonder about that.”

 

Ryuji stopped with his hand on the doorknob, glancing back at Akechi. 

 

“I’m not going to hate you,” He said. “It doesn’t matter what you have planned. We’re still friends.”

 

Akechi didn’t respond. Assuming he fell asleep, Ryuji exited the apartment and locked the door for him. 

 

This time, their discussion left him with more questions than answers. He was worried about whatever plan Akechi was so attached to that he refused to clue Ryuji in even a little. Their promise burned in the back of his mind. Whatever Akechi was going to do, he wanted Ryuji to stop him. It didn’t make any sense… it’s not like someone was forcing Akechi to act.

 

Ryuji figured that he should prepare himself for anything. If Akechi didn’t want to talk about it, he would have to be ready to take whatever he threw at him. He thought he could handle it. He thought he knew Akechi pretty well, after all.

 

However, Ryuji would look back days from now, and realize, fearfully, that he had no idea just how much of Akechi’s life he was unaware of.


	4. Almost

The school festival was much busier than usual this year. People gathered around the stands, more interested in chatting about the Phantom Thieves than actually enjoying the events. Some people seemed at a loss of what to do, since they were only there to catch a glimpse of the famous Detective Prince in person.

 

Ryuji stopped momentarily to observe them. Was it really this big of a deal to see Akechi? All Ryuji had to do was walk up to his apartment and knock on the door. Leaving the poor fans to their business, he caught up with the rest of the Phantom Thieves to meet at the Maid Takoyaki stand. 

 

Ryuji gave up on expecting any normal food from this place. Ann and Ren’s class had put together a sloppy looking takoyaki stand that seemed more interested in showing off maid uniforms than actually serving food. It didn’t matter anyway, because they wanted to use it as a quiet area to strategize on the Akechi situation. 

 

He lounged back in his chair, poking at the tray of misshapen takoyaki in front of him. One of the pieces was clearly packed with spice, probably enough to make someone cry. With a laugh, he pointed to the brightly colored one in the center and nudged Ren. Their fearless leader rolled his shoulders back and smirked, ready to take on the challenge.  Ryuji grinned in amusement and reached over to slide the tray his way. Before his hand could reach it, he got distracted by something in the corner of vision. 

 

Akechi stood at the door, watching them with tired eyes. He had a wistful expression on his face, one that Ryuji knew he wouldn’t have fallen into unless he thought no one was watching him. Seeing Akechi like that made Ryuji ache to call him over, but he held back, remembering that he had a part to play. 

 

He needed to be a stranger to Goro Akechi, nothing more and nothing less. That was one hell of a difficult task when Akechi was this close, looking so alone and lost. After a minute, Akechi caught Ryuji’s gaze and snapped out of it, putting on his TV smile within an instant. 

 

“Oh,” He said, approaching their table. “Everyone’s all here.”

 

Makoto blinked owlishly, surprised. “The panel isn’t until tomorrow, though.”

 

Akechi ran a hand through his own hair, glancing around the room in calm observation. Ryuji knew he was only stalling while he came up with a good excuse to be there.

 

“I came to check out the venue. I can’t make any mistakes since a lot of people will be present.”

 

“Someone’s eager,” Futaba remarked. 

 

Akechi laughed half-heartedly. “People ended up recognizing me and everyone bombarded me with questions…”

 

“That’s cause you were sloppy,” Ryuji comfortably said with a sigh, forgetting that they weren’t alone in the room. 

 

He pursed his lips together to stop himself from making anymore casual conversation with Akechi. It was a real shame, since he wanted to ask how he got away from all the fans.

 

Akechi gave Ryuji a warning look and continued on as if reading a script. “I grew tired of the baseless rumors they kept bringing up, so I escaped to where there weren’t any people.”

 

There was a bit of an awkward silence after that. Futaba was focused on whatever hacking she was doing on her phone. Yusuke observed the takoyaki tray with the all of the judgement of a disappointed artist. Ann was distracted in watching the maids excitedly chat about their costumes, while Haru was more interested in the unappetizing meal choices listed on the menu. Makoto and Ren stared at Akechi with mild suspicion, anticipating him to start a discussion about the Phantom Thieves. Akechi looked increasingly uncomfortable, unsure of what to say next.

 

 _Shit_ , Ryuji thought. _Just how bad is he at making conversation?_

 

Ryuji opened his mouth again, prepared to do something to get everyone talking for him again. Before he could say a word, Akechi grabbed the takoyaki tray and pulled out the bright red piece. 

 

“I’m going to have one of these,” He declared, coming up with his own solution instead. “Let’s call this my performance fee.”

 

Trying to hide his smile, Ryuji realized that he should have known this would happen. Akechi had no idea how to talk to most people unless it had something to do with food. 

 

He watched as Akechi popped the scary looking takoyaki into his mouth. Come to think of it, he didn’t know if Akechi liked spicy food or not. Ryuji felt like Akechi was the type of person to enjoy it, though he probably picked the red takoyaki just because it would be cooler to write about in his food blog.

 

“But-“ Ann started, concerned.

 

“It’s fine,” Ryuji offered, again forgetting that he needed to act like he didn’t know Akechi. 

 

“Mm,” Akechi said, satisfied. “It’s quite deli-“

 

Before he could finish the sentence, he suddenly doubled over, pressing a hand to his mouth. 

 

“HNNGH?”

 

 _Oh no_. 

 

 It turns out Akechi wasn’t a fan of spicy food. At all. 

 

Ryuji was torn between rushing over in concern and bursting out laughing at the way he fidgeted and chewed robotically, trying not to spit the whole thing out. To his own frustration, Ryuji knew that he couldn’t do either because Akechi would kill him for both.

 

“Ngh… my throat. This is….ugh…”

 

When Akechi grabbed at his throat, Ryuji tensed up, using every ounce of self-control he had to stop himself from helping out. Ann must have sensed Ryuji’s panic, and thankfully, channeled it out for him. 

 

“Are you ok?” She asked, trying to hand him some napkins. “Do you need water?”

 

“I’m. Fine.” He choked out, putting on the best brave face Ryuji had seen from him yet. “I love, uh, spicy stuff. Haha.”

 

Akechi was shaking like a leaf. Ryuji balled his hands into fists, managing to hold back from yelling at him to go spit the damn thing out. Noticing Ryuji’s patience failing him, Akechi began tottering towards the door. 

 

“I’lll…see you… t-tomorrow,” He managed, rushing away once he was out of their line of sight.

 

“Wow,” Ann commented. “He’s really trying to hold it together. He’s waddling around like some comedian.”

 

After that little display, Ryuji knew he had to hold himself together. He wasn’t going to ruin this after Akechi practically swallowed poison to keep his plan running perfectly.

 

“It’s like,” Ryuji said, trying to joke but without any heart to sound enthusiastic. “He wants to get picked up for a commercial or something.”

 

The conversation turned to curiosity over Akechi’s early appearance, but Ryuji couldn’t pay attention to it. Every part of him wanted to check on Akechi, but he couldn’t move. There was no way he could do that without looking suspicious. 

 

Ann frowned, peering down at Ryuji’s fists shaking in his lap. Seemingly getting an idea, she stood up from her chair.

 

“Oh!” She exclaimed. “I forgot my bag in my locker!”

 

“What?” Makoto said. “You don’t need it now, do you?”

 

“Yeah, I do,” Ann insisted, a bit over-dramatic. “My phone is in there and I promised to text Shiho right now!”

 

“Now?” Ryuji grumbled.

 

He knew she always kept her phone in her pocket. What the hell was she going on about? Ann turned back to him, flashing her most determined glare. 

 

“Yes, now!” She said, trying to keep up the act. “Ryuji! Go get it!”

 

He groaned. “Why me?“

 

Ignoring his question, Ann continued through clenched teeth. “My locker is out in this hallway, Ryuji!”

 

Finally understanding what Ann was trying to do, he stopped. In the same manner she did, he rose up from his chair and slammed his hands on the table.

 

“Alright!” He said. “I’m going.”

 

Appeased, Ann sat back down with a smile. No one seemed to sense that anything was off except for Ren, who probably knew Ann better than this as well. Ryuji put that in the back of his mind and ran out in the same direction as Akechi.

* * *

 

After a quick stop at the soda machine, Ryuji became a man on a mission.

 

He raced ahead towards the mens’ restroom, hoping Akechi had enough common sense to do the same. Sure enough, he found him bent over the sink, coughing and rinsing his mouth out with water. Ryuji let out a sigh of relief, making sure no one else was around before he walked over and patted his back.

 

“You’re insane,” He said. “You didn’t have to eat that thing.”

 

“Yes, I did,” Akechi rasped out. “I wasn’t about to make a fool of myself in front of them.”

 

Ryuji clicked his tongue, displeased. “And running away crying didn’t do that?”

 

“…I was not crying.”

 

Ryuji scoffed. He opened the soda bottle he bought earlier and sat it down in front of Akechi.

 

“Here,” He said. “I figured you’d wanna wash down the taste of that takoyaki.”

 

Akechi picked up the bottle and examined it as if he had never seen a soda before in his life. 

 

“A carbonated drink…?”

 

“If you don’t like it, give it here.” Ryuji teased. “I drink these all the time.”

 

Evidently that was enough to convince Akechi, since he drank some right away. He seemed to regain the energy he lost by tasting something normal again. Watching Akechi cheer up, Ryuji could feel his tension fade as well.

 

“You truly are a terrible actor,” Akechi said once he had enough soda.

 

“Huh?” Ryuji scrunched up his nose, offended. “I was doing my best back there!”

“Exactly why I’m so disappointed,” He confirmed, amused. “We’re acting as if we have no connection to each other, remember? However, you chased me as quickly as one of my fans would have done.”

 

Ryuji scowled. “I’m not your fan.”

 

“No, you’re not,” Akechi said, closing his eyes. “Which is why you confuse me so much.”

 

“What’s so confusing about me?”

 

“Everything.”

 

Ryuji raised an eyebrow at Akechi, who closed up the bottle of soda and placed it back down on the counter. 

 

“Why do you care about me so much?” He asked. “You should have ignored me and stayed with the others.”

 

Ryuji glared at him. “I couldn’t leave you like that.”

 

“No, you could have done so easily. I didn’t ask for you to look after me.”

 

“Why do you like to suffer by yourself so damn much?” 

 

Akechi glowered. “That’s not it.”

 

“Then let me help you,” Ryuji argued. 

 

“I’m fine on my own.”

 

“That’s bullshit! I know you don’t wanna be alone.”

 

“It would be much easier that way!” Akechi snapped. “You’re making everything far too complicated!”

 

“Fine,” Ryuji huffed. “I’ll get away from you like you ‘effin want!”

 

“Perfect. Do that.”

 

Irritated, Ryuji stormed out of the bathroom without giving Akechi a second glance. 

 

Ryuji didn’t get what was so complicated. All he wanted to do was make Akechi’s life easier, but evidently he was doing the opposite. He fought the urge to run back into the bathroom and pester him about it. All he would end up doing is pissing him off since Akechi wasn’t in any mood to see his face.

 

His fist hit the wall in frustration and he cursed under his breath, stopping to calm himself down before he went back to the rest of the Phantom Thieves.

 

Despite it all, he was _still_ worried about him.

* * *

 

Akechi’s panel was the next day.

Makoto stood on stage, introducing him to the crowd as if everyone didn’t already know very well who he was. Ryuji apathetically leaned against the railing of the balcony, hoping he wouldn’t catch his eye. Regardless, he had a feeling that today was the day Akechi would set his plan to join the Phantom Thieves in motion. The team didn’t know any better and argued between themselves, anxious of whether or not they could count on him as an ally. Since Ryuji couldn’t be on stage, all he could do was hope Makoto would force Akechi to say something that would clue him in as to what was going on in his head.

 

It proved a difficult task even for her. Akechi remained calm, equipped with calculated responses that sounded well-rehearsed beforehand. That was typical readiness for him in front of a crowd. Makoto persevered, pressing Akechi harder for the answers they needed.

 

“What reason is there that you’d claim their innocence when you previously stated they were unjust?” She asked.

 

Ryuji blew out air. The answer would have been obvious if she knew how hard he’d been working in the past few months to convince Akechi about the good of the Phantom Thieves. 

 

“Every person whose heart they changed have truly been criminals,” Akechi stated. “Including Okumura.”

 

Ryuji smiled despite himself. He thought back on the hours he spent with Akechi, re-telling the stories of their heroic battles against each Palace Boss. Akechi had always listened eagerly, sometimes chiding Ryuji for his recklessness and lack of strategic planning.

 

His smile faded when he recalled how differently the scene played out when he told Akechi about the fight against Okumura. Remembering Akechi’s gentle touch and quiet apologies made his chest feel tight. Was that when everything started to go wrong?

 

“Why, then,” Akechi pondered. “Was he the only one who needed to be killed?”

 

“Why is that?” Makoto urged.

 

“I must admit… I couldn’t deduce a reason. That’s why I believe that case should be thought of as if a different party were responsible.”

 

Akechi paused, stopping to look at the balcony. A normal student wouldn’t have thought much of it. Ren and the others could tell well enough that he was seeking them out. Ryuji knew better. They looked directly in each others’ eyes as he spoke.

 

“And if, this is all hypothetical mind you,” He said. “If the Phantom Thieves are the ones I know of, I can’t possibly imagine they would kill anyone.”

 

Ryuji’s eyes widened. So this was how Akechi’s plan would begin. 

 

The crowd gasped and chattered quietly amongst themselves about who the Phantom Thieves could possibly be. Makoto appeared nervous but did what she could to keep her voice steady.

 

“About your previous comment,” She said. “Does this mean that the police have already identified who they are?”

 

“Oh, no,” Akechi assured her. “The police haven’t gotten that far yet. I have my own conclusions about the true identities of the Phantom Thieves.”

 

Ann and Ren went pale. Ryuji, in an anxious attempt to lighten the mood, glanced away from Akechi and elbowed Ann.

 

“He’s gotta be bluffing!” He said louder than he meant to.

 

“Pipe down,” Ann scolded, pressing a finger to her lips.

 

Akechi turned to Makoto with unfailing confidence. “You aren’t going to ask me who they are?”

 

Makoto tensed up, glaring at him coldly. “It may have repercussions on the investigation. Are you sure you can share that with us?”

 

“It’s only my personal opinion,” He challenged. “So announcing that here wouldn’t pose a problem. However, there is a possibility that everyone present will hear the truth before the police or media.”

 

“That’s quite the confidence you have. If you’re so certain…then very well.”

 

Makoto paused, taking a deep breath before continuing on. “I’d like to ask you, then. Who do you think the Phantom Thieves are, Akechi-san?”

 

“That idiot!” Ryuji blurted out, losing his grip on his frustration with Akechi. 

 

He had to put a stop to this. Whipping out his phone, he typed out a message, fast.

 

_Ryuji: What the hell are you doing?!_

 

“They are people you all know quite well,” Akechi began. “The identity of the Phantom Thieves are-“

 

_Pi Pi Pi_

 

Akechi stopped mid-sentence once he heard his ringtone. He pulled out his phone to look at the text notification from Ryuji, a smirk forming on his lips as he read it. 

 

“Oh,” He said into the microphone. “It’s mine. I apologize for the interruption, but I can’t turn off my phone due to my job. Would you mind if I stepped away for…ten minutes or so?”

 

The crowd broke into a disappointed whine. Ryuji’s eye twitched. Did Akechi really use his text as a part of his master plan?

 

Makoto looked relieved. “I’m terribly sorry everyone, but we’ll be taking a break. We’ll resume the panel in ten minutes.”

 

Akechi texted as Makoto spoke. Once she finished, he went back to the microphone and offered the audience a playful grin. 

 

“Please don’t troll me online for this interruption, ok?”

 

As the crowd laughed, Ryuji felt a buzz from his phone. He pulled it out and read over the text on the screen.

 

_Akechi: This is only the beginning._

* * *

 

Akechi had all of the Phantom Thieves gather in the PE faulty office. Ryuji stood opposite to him, as far away as he could position himself. He was worried about blowing his cover and avoided looking anywhere near Akechi.

 

So this was how he would start a discussion about joining their group. Ryuji impatiently tapped his foot on the floor, annoyed but unsurprised that Akechi would go for the most stressful route possible. He knew this wasn’t going to end well, and Ryuji needed to steel his nerves for whatever conversation was about to take place. At least he was better off than the others, who had no idea that Akechi wasn’t interested in revealing their identities to the police.

 

He guessed that he would start by confessing that he knew who they were, leaving out the little detail that it was Ryuji who tipped him off to it. That idea went out the window once Akechi empathically threw a set of photos down onto the table. They were taken on one of the days that the Phantom Thieves had visited Okumura’s Palace. Ann and Yusuke were on their way into the Metaverse, their bodies fading into nothing.

 

 _When did Akechi even take these?_ Ryuji thought.

 

“No,” Haru gasped, staring at the pictures in horror. 

 

Everyone fell into similar expressions of panic, except for Ryuji, who was already well aware that Akechi knew about the Metaverse. He was the one who told him about it, after all. Realizing that it’d be weird for him to be the only one unsurprised, Ryuji broke the silence.

 

“Those have gotta be ‘shopped!” He quickly shouted, trying to sound scared.

 

Akechi turned to Ryuji with an expression that couldn’t have more obviously said ‘ _Is that really the best you could come up with’_? 

 

“I have video footage too,” He proclaimed, effectively shutting him down.

 

Ryuji crinkled his nose and turned away with a huff. 

 

“Please, let’s not feign ignorance” Akechi said. “All of you can go to that other world too, yes?”

 

“Us ‘too’?” Ren questioned.

 

 _Too_? Ryuji furrowed his eyebrows, thinking along the same lines. Sure, he’d told Akechi about the Metaverse and fighting with Personas but… Akechi had never actually gone there before. Right?

 

“It’s not only all of you,” He explained. “I found out about that world about a month ago. This had been installed onto my phone without my knowledge.”

 

Ryuji sucked in a breath, staring at the ominous red and black app on Akechi’s phone. It was a clear sign that he was one of the lucky ones able to travel to the Metaverse. It stung to think that Akechi hid something this big from him.

 

“Dude,” Ryuji said breathlessly to him. “That’s the Nav.”

 

Akechi looked away, frowning somewhat. “When the app activated on its own, the scenery around me suddenly changed. Quite frankly, I still can’t believe it myself.”

 

He had to be lying. This didn’t sound genuine to Ryuji.

 

He grit his teeth. “We’ve been listening to you blab on for a while now, but cut the delusions-“

 

“All of you are acting as Phantom Thieves in the Metaverse,” Akechi said, cutting him off. “I can say so with conviction because I have the same power as you.”

 

 _What?_ Ryuji stared as him in disbelief. There was no way Akechi could use a Persona. If that were the case, he would have told Ryuji a long time ago. He would have cheered him on and helped him get a spot on the Phantom Thieves. Ryuji thought that was what Akechi wanted. 

 

Ren nodded to Akechi in affirmation, unafraid. 

 

Haru winced, mustering enough courage to take a step forward. 

 

“We didn’t kill anyone,” She admitted.

 

“I believe that as well,” Akechi confirmed. 

  
“How can you be so sure?” Makoto asked.

 

“Because I saw another,” Akechi said. “The real culprit.”

 

Ryuji nearly choked. _Just how many secrets was Akechi holding onto?!_

 

“For real?!” He sputtered. 

 

“Who was it?!” Ann questioned.

 

“I couldn’t identify his face,” Akechi noted, rubbing his chin in thought. “He had a mask on, after all. He shot at me the moment he noticed me.”

 

Ryuji bit his lip, staring blankly at the floor. None of this sounded familiar to him. He was emotionally closer to Akechi than anyone in the room, yet he was as clueless as everyone else right now. At this moment, like Akechi wanted, they were strangers.

 

“I was almost killed by him,” Akechi went on. “‘I can’t die here… I need to determine the truth…’. When those thoughts overcame me, I awakened to that power. A most fortunate accident.”

 

“This guy has a Persona too…?” Morgana asked.

 

Akechi definitely had a Persona, and Ryuji was none the wiser.

 

He couldn’t bring himself to pay attention while Akechi gaped at Morgana. He pestered him and the others for more information on how the Metaverse worked, as if Ryuji didn’t already explain all of that to him.

 

Akechi possessed a Persona for at least a month now. Like an idiot, Ryuji had told him for longer than that about how rare and amazing it was to have such a power. Akechi heard him out each time, pretending he didn’t already have the Nav and experience with a Persona. Thinking about it made Ryuji feel so damn stupid. Why didn’t Akechi tell him any of this? It wasn’t adding up.

 

He did what he could to finish the discussion without letting the others on to how agitated he was. In the end, Akechi gave them an ultimatum: help him find the true culprit and disband the Phantom Thieves, or allow him to turn them in to the police.

 

Ryuji knew he wasn’t going to actually turn them in to the police, so Akechi’s real goal here was the quiet disappearance of the Phantom Thieves. The whole situation was eerily similar to the way Akechi blackmailed him after Madarame’s Palace. Sure, it worked out for Ryuji in the end, but there really didn’t seem to be a winning option for the Phantom Thieves here. 

 

Ryuji didn’t understand it. It seemed to be a sure thing that he had convinced Akechi of the good that the Phantom Thieves were doing, but now it seemed like he was far from accomplishing that. He felt betrayed and pushed aside, but he couldn’t give up on Akechi here. In whatever time was left for them as a team, he had to succeed in getting Akechi to want the Phantom Thieves to stay. If he could do that, he was sure things would go back to normal between them.

 

At this point, he wanted that more than anything.

* * *

 

Akechi’s panel was cancelled after their meeting.The audience booed and left the auditorium in scattered groups, but they seemed to forget about their gripes once the post-festival party began. There was music, dancing, and an open mic event going on in the gym. Some people stuck around for more of the free food, and others found a love interest to pass the time with. The Phantom Thieves decided to split up and spend the rest of the day trying to forget about the Akechi issue. They deserved a little fun after the stress of the day.

 

Ryuji didn’t have any intention of sticking to that plan, though.

 

Akechi headed towards one of the exits, acting like he was on his way to work. Ryuji caught him sneaking out the back of the practice building, far away from any crowds. Exactly where Ryuji knew he’d want to be.

 

“The show’s over already?” He commented, approaching him.

 

Akechi stopped, peering back at him. “Ryuji?”

 

“I can’t say I liked it,” Ryuji added, shoving his hands in his pockets. “It really pissed me off, if I’m bein’ honest.”

 

“Then it did exactly what it was supposed to do,” Akechi remarked, trying to walk away. “No one suspected a thing about us, and I’ve succeeded in setting my plan into motion.”

 

Ryuji stepped in front of the door to block his path. “Is that why you hid all this shit from me?”

 

Akechi tried to get around him. “There was no other way.”

 

“I really hate it when you say that,” Ryuji growled, moving in step with him. “You could have joined the team without lying to me like this! And what the hell was all that about disbanding the Phantom Thieves?!”

 

“I warned you that I had goals of my own,” Akechi coolly replied, moving to the side. “And I never lied to you. I simply hid the truth that I had awakened to a Persona.”

 

“So this whole time, you pretended to get something out of listening to me go on and on about Personas when you already knew plenty. Must have been real boring for you.”

 

“I was never bored,” Akechi said, attempting to push by him.

 

Done with this little game, Ryuji kept stepping forward until he backed Akechi against the wall to keep him still. Akechi sunk down slightly and tightened his grip on his briefcase, keeping his guard up. He probably wasn’t used to being handled like this.

 

“You almost _died_ , Akechi,” Ryuji hissed in distress. “What the fuck were you thinking, going into the Metaverse on your own?”

 

Akechi stared up at him, his grip on the briefcase loosening. “What?”

 

“The culprit shot at you!” Ryuji snapped, throwing his hands up in the air. “That’s how dangerous the Metaverse is. I told you that much again and again! Do you think it’s something you can play around with and use as a bargaining tool?”

 

“You… you’re honestly worried for me right now?”

 

“Of course I am!”

 

“Even after what I did today?”

 

Ryuji groaned. “I don’t care what kind of game you’re playing, and I don’t care if it annoys you that I care about you. Get angry at me all you want. Not that you should even be the one pissed, since it looks like your ‘Disband the Phantom Thieves’ plan is up and running.”

 

“Exactly,” Akechi whispered. “After all of that, I assumed that you’d be upset enough to leave me in peace.”

 

“Are you an idiot? I made a promise to you, unless you forgot about that, too.”

 

“You’re speaking of our conversation the other night?”

 

“I told you I would stop you,” Ryuji said. “And keep you from being a dumbass.”

 

“…It definitely wasn’t worded in that manner.”

 

“Who cares! I’m keeping up my end of the bargain, yeah?” 

 

Akechi sighed. “I suppose you are.”

 

“Right?” Ryuji said. “So shut up about making me go away. It’s not gonna happen.”

 

Akechi nodded, pulling off one of his gloves and neatly folding it into his pocket. “Alright.”

 

“Finally, you get it. We need to work together instead of you going with this annoying blackmail thing again-“

 

Ryuji stopped, feeling a warm hand touch his face. Akechi rested his ungloved hand on Ryuji’s cheek, the contact between them so gentle that it could scarcely be felt. Ryuji’s breath caught in his chest as Akechi’s thumb moved down towards his lips. Each moment was slow and deliberate, as if he were studying every change in Ryuji’s reaction. His thumb paused once it met Ryuji’s bottom lip, too hesitant to go on.

 

“What are you doing?” Ryuji asked quietly, his voice barely a whisper.

 

“Something I’ve wanted to do for quite some time,” Akechi muttered, glancing over him. “It relaxes me when I look at your face.”

 

Ryuji blushed, resting a hand against the wall to steady himself. A part of him screamed that they were too close and he needed to make space between them. Most of him, however, wanted to do just the opposite.

 

This was dangerous. They were stepping over a line that was hard to return from. 

 

Ryuji wasn’t thinking clearly like this. He wanted much more of whatever Akechi was doing to him. He grabbed his hand and pressed it against the wall to give himself room to lean in closer. Akechi was caught off guard and drew back into the wall.

 

“Ryuji,” He murmured, fidgeting. “Ryuji, wait.”

 

Ryuji stopped not even an inch away from Akechi’s lips. His mind began to clear up as his eyes focused on Akechi’s face, turning bright red. He’d never seen Akechi look this vulnerable before. The sight of it was like a blow to the chest, reminding him that he was a hair’s width away from kissing him.

 

He turned the same color as Akechi and abruptly pulled away. 

 

“Shit,” He said, ashamed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I didn’t mean to…”

 

Akechi stayed where he was, stiff as a board. “It’s fine.”

 

“That was, uh,” Ryuji stammered, rubbing at his head. “I wasn’t thinking.”

 

“Neither was I.”

 

“I’ll forget about it, then.”

 

Akechi shakily put his glove back on. “We’re pretending it didn’t happen?”

 

Ryuji nodded and nervously scratched at his shirt. “Right. That.”

 

“…Alright.”

 

Akechi breathed in like he was holding back a flood of things that were trying to spill out. He then gracefully knelt down, grabbing his briefcase and resting his free hand on the doorknob. Ryuji didn’t stop him this time.

 

“Regarding my deal, I expect an answer from the Phantom Thieves very soon.”

 

“We won’t lose to you,” Ryuji proclaimed. 

 

“Prove it to me, then.”

 

With that, Akechi left. The door closed softly behind him, leaving Ryuji alone in the quiet, vacant hallway. He sunk down to the floor, clutching at his own chest. His heart was beating so hard that he swore he Akechi could hear it back then. 

 

This was really bad. 

 

These weren’t the kind of feelings he ever wanted to develop for Akechi. Hell, he was surprised they ever became friends in the first place. And now he wanted to shove the guy against a wall and kiss him senseless? 

 

“Godammit,” Ryuji muttered, gripping at his head.

 

He needed to forget about it and push it to the back of his mind. There were more important things to deal with. Like the Phantom Thieves and their warrant for arrest. Besides, those feelings could have been a fleeting thing. Akechi was handsome enough to have a fanclub, after all, and like Ann said, it wasn’t that weird to have a thing for him. Soon, Ryuji hoped he would forget all about wanting Akechi like this.

 

It was worth a try to convince himself of it, even if deep down, he knew it wasn’t going to work. He crossed a line back there, and Akechi, blushing more than Ryuji guessed he had ever done in his life, almost walked across it with him.

 

That was a fact Ryuji couldn’t forget if he tried.


	5. Trust

It was the first time they had a Phantom Thieves meeting at Leblanc with Goro Akechi.

 

He politely stood at the cafe’s counter, facing the rest of the group sitting around the table. Ryuji sat near the wall, pretending to be distracted by the Sayuri painting across from him. There was a lot he wanted to say to Akechi, but the Phantom Thieves’ business was more important. Realizing that no one would break the silence if she didn’t, Makoto led the discussion.

 

“When you say you want us to cooperate, what exactly do you intend for us to do?”

 

“That’s a good question,” Akechi said, slyly avoiding an answer. “But may I have a cup of coffee first?”

 

Ryuji hated that forced smile on his face. He couldn’t stand it that something was bothering Akechi but he chose to hide it by faking nice.

 

“Quit ‘effin around,” Ryuji snapped.

 

Akechi lost his smile as if he wanted to argue but knew better than to start anything here. Ryuji continued to glare, silently challenging him to make a move. Ren looked between them with interest. 

 

Makoto awkwardly cleared her throat. “Please keep this short.”

 

“A bounty for information in addition to a warrant for arrest,” Akechi mused, showing no trace of the discomfort he showed a moment ago. “Those are quite desperate measures.”

 

Ryuji’s disinterestedly sunk back into his seat as Akechi went on about Sae Nijima’s strategy for capturing them. They knew enough about Sae’s plans. What Ryuji needed to know was the truth behind Akechi’s actions, but he knew that wouldn’t be a conversation topic anytime soon. 

 

“The police have nothing on us,” Futaba declared from the seat behind Ryuji. “There’s no way they can make an arrest.”

 

Akechi pressed a gloved hand to his chin. “True, I’m the only one who has ascertained your identities.”

 

 _There’s an ‘effin good reason for that,_ Ryuji thought, watching Akechi. He absently rubbed at his chin as he spoke. Unwillingly, Ryuji was reminded of how nice Akechi’s hands felt when he wasn’t wearing any gloves. 

 

That wasn’t a good train of thought to get into while they were having a serious discussion. Ryuji slapped at his own cheeks, hoping to clear his head of anything to do with touching Akechi. Makoto, who was sitting beside him, gave him a confused look when she noticed him hitting his own face.

 

“However, the groundwork for fabricating testimonies and concocting a culprit are underway…”

 

“Get on with it,” Futaba huffed.

 

“I’ll be blunt,” Akechi said. “I’m thinking of triggering a change of heart in Sae-san. I’ve already discovered that she has a Palace.”

 

Haru glanced at Makoto with concern in her eyes. “Really…?”

 

Yusuke pensively ran a hand through his own hair. “Do you want this done to prevent the investigation agency’s recklessness?”

 

Akechi nodded. “Precisely.”

 

“Still,” Ann said hesitantly. “There’s no need to change her heart for that…”

 

“Indeed,” Yusuke agreed. “It’s hard to believe that a single person can fabricate all of that.”

 

“Unfortunately, that’s not the case,” Akechi said. “What if I told you that those around her would turn a blind eye to false evidence?”

 

Ryuji clenched his fists. “You’re saying that the police would do that…?”

 

Akechi focused on a spot on the floor. “It seems they’re more trusted than I thought.”

 

 _Trust, huh?_ Ryuji thought. Funny that would come up. He figured Akechi trusted him, but it didn’t seem likely with the way he hid the most important things away.

 

Reluctantly, the Phantom Thieves agreed on hearing Akechi out on his plan to change Sae’s heart. They had no choice but to play along with the idea of disbanding the Phantom Thieves afterwards. Ryuji didn't let that bother him because he was sure he could convince Akechi otherwise by the end of this mess.

 

Haru closed her eyes and delicately rested her hands in her lap. “Why are you willing to do all of this, Akechi-kun? Why do you seek justice?”

 

It was hard to miss the way Akechi tensed up at that. He gradually began to glare at something far removed from anyone in the room.

 

“Because of sickening human beings…”

 

His hands gripped at the edge of the counter behind him. A repressed, deep-set anger penetrated his words. It was the first time Ryuji could tell that Akechi was truly upset over something.

 

“Yes,” Akechi continued, taking in a slow, steadying breath. “My contempt for such people drives my sense of justice. It isn’t some grand reason like society’s sake, or some lofty ideal.”

 

Watching him like this made Ryuji feel restless. Whenever Akechi forced himself to stop expressing emotion, Ryuji got the urge to shake him up and tell him to let it out. He was sick and tired of watching him bottle everything up. It was like he was afraid to show even a hint of weakness. 

 

In a voice lower than a whisper, Ryuji spoke. “Ake-“

 

“It’s,” Akechi said, sharply cutting him off. “Simply an absurd grudge… and it’s extremely personal.”

 

Ryuji winced, shaking his head. “Dude…”

 

 _‘Just tell me what’s going on’,_ is what he wanted to say. _‘Let me know what’s hurting you so damn much.’_

 

He couldn’t say any of it. There was no way for him to say it right now.

 

“You know,” Ann reasoned. “Doesn’t he remind you of us?”

 

“True,” Ren agreed.

 

They both spared a glance at Ryuji. He guessed they were waiting for him to say something. He couldn’t, and when he didn’t speak up, Ann started again.

 

“Yeah, like how some disgusting adult pissed him off.”

 

Akechi looked around at the group with an unreadable expression. “We’re similar? Maybe… that’s why I thought I could ask this of you all.”

 

Ryuji tiredly stared up at him. He knew he was lying. The only time the real Akechi showed up during this conversation was when he talked about being hurt by someone.

 

With a slight, obliging bow to Ren, Akechi finished his piece. “Won’t you cooperate with me on the mission to change Sae-san’s heart?”

 

Ren pushed up his glasses and set his lips in a hard line. “…We will.”

 

“…Thanks.” Akechi said with a perfect grin. “I was actually rather worried there. This mission can’t succeed without your cooperation, after all.”

 

Though Akechi was eager to enter the Palace, the group decided on waiting until tomorrow in order to let Makoto rest. Their target was her own sister, after all. After saying their goodbyes to Ren, Morgana, and Futaba, the others left LeBlanc and headed to the station. Akechi stayed behind at a vending machine near the cafe. Once the others were out of sight, Ryuji approached him.

 

“There’s no coffee in there,” He said knowingly. “It’s a soda machine.”

 

Akechi peered up at him. “Hm. You’re better at observing people than I originally thought.”

 

Ryuji shrugged. “Nah. You’re just obvious.”

 

With a shake of his head, Akechi returned to studying each of the drinks cased inside the machine. He was so concentrated on it that Ryuji figured they’d be here all night if he didn’t speed things up.

 

“What’s wrong now?”

 

“There are so many types,” Akechi said quietly. “I can’t remember which one you bought for me the other day.”

 

Ryuji tilted his head to side. “You liked it that much?”

 

Akechi nodded. Amused and in a better mood from that somehow, Ryuji pulled out a few coins and stuck them into the machine. 

 

“It’s this one,” He said as he pushed the button on the machine. 

 

With all the curiosity of someone who had never used a vending machine, Akechi watched it process the order. Soon enough, a red soda bottle came tumbling out towards the bottom hatch. Ryuji unceremoniously fetched it out from the machine and waved it towards him. 

 

“Here you go. Not so hard, right?”

 

Akechi hesitantly took the bottle. “You didn’t have to buy it for me.”

Ryuji dug into his pocket and pulled out a handful of coins. “It’s not a big deal. I have plenty of change.”

 

“…You keep all of that in your pocket?”

 

“Where else am I going to stick it?”

 

Akechi smiled in mild amusement. “I suppose that’s what’s most useful to you.”

 

While Ryuji shoved his change back into his pocket, Akechi started opening the soda bottle. Knowing exactly what was going to happen, Ryuji rushed forward and tried to stop him. Akechi, who was none the wiser about how shaken up a soda in a vending machine would be, continued opening it. The end result was soda exploding all over both of them. It fizzed at the opening, bubbling out until a good amount of the soda had been pushed out.

  
Akechi’s jaw hung open in shock. Ryuji cursed under his breath, shaking off his hands. 

 

“I forgot to warn you about that,” He grumbled. “You can’t open it so fast right after it comes out of the machine…”

 

Looking down at his soda-stained hands and sleeves, Akechi laughed. It was a genuine, warm, and unrehearsed. This was the side to Akechi that reminded Ryuji of why he couldn’t help but like the guy so much, even after spending months trying to hate him. 

 

“I should have known better,” Akechi said, holding back his laughter. “It was foolish of me to do that.”

 

Ryuji smiled fondly. “No kidding. For someone as smart as you are, you can be a real idiot sometimes, y’know that?”

 

“You’re one to-“

 

Akechi paused mid-sentence, staring back at Ryuji. Feeling embarrassed, Ryuji turned away.

 

“What?” He said, rubbing at the back of his neck.

 

“Sorry,” Akechi said as a frown formed on his lips. “I’d honestly… never seen anyone look at me the way you did. I was surprised.”

 

“Huh?” Ryuji huffed. “I wasn’t looking at you weird or anything!”

 

“Not ‘weird’ so much as…” Akechi seemed troubled. “Nevermind. It’s better if I forget about it.”

 

He brushed off his hands and took a sip from what was left of his soda. Ryuji took out a few coins so that he could buy another drink. 

 

“I meant what I said, about you being obvious. It’s not hard to tell that something’s bothering you when you look so damn stiff. It’d be real nice if you’d tell me what’s going on.”

 

Akechi sighed quietly. “I can’t do that.”

 

“Why not? You think I’m gonna tell everyone?”

 

“That’s not it.”

 

“Then what is it?” Ryuji asked, exasperated. “I won’t know if you don’t explain anything!”

 

“I…” Akechi started, inhaling sharply. “There’s nothing for me to say to you.”

 

Ryuji narrowed his eyes and pressed the button for the soda. “It’s going to hurt the more you shove everything down. Maybe you’re stressed by the media or all of this Metaverse shit, but the reason doesn’t really matter. Find someone to hear you out about it… it doesn’t even have to be me.”

 

“I can’t do that.”

 

“What’s the problem with doing that?”

 

“…You’re all I have.”

 

Ryuji turned around, stunned. “What?”

 

Akechi gripped at his own arm as he turned away. “Despite everything, I still have you, don’t I? Believe me when I say that you know me better than anyone else in this world.”

 

“But-”

 

“That’s enough for tonight,” Akechi remarked, walking away. “We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.”

 

“Akechi, hold on…”

 

“I don’t have anything else to say,” He said coldly. “Go home and rest, Ryuji.”

 

As Akechi disappeared from sight, Ryuji grit his teeth to hold himself back from yelling. They were still in front of LeBlanc and it would be bad for everyone if Ren overheard any of this. 

 

He knelt down to grab the soda bottle waiting in the machine. Too irritated to care about the mess, he quickly opened it and let it bubble out. Once it stopped spilling out, he chugged it down.The soda was supposed to be for Akechi, had he waited instead of running off like that.

 

Regardless of how annoyed Ryuji felt with Akechi, he was more determined than ever now to break through to him and find out what the issue was. He had no idea what changed things between them, but he didn’t like it one bit. To make things worse, considering what just happened, he was the only one who could help Akechi. He needed to let him into his life a little more. The hard part was convincing Akechi to open up.

 

Ryuji starting choking on the soda, an obvious result of having tried to down too much at once. Once he coughed enough to clear it out, he closed up the bottle and made his way down to the station.

 

He needed to prove himself to Akechi. There had to be some way to show that he was reliable.

 

The problem was that he didn’t have a clue how to go about doing that yet.

* * *

 

Ryuji flopped down on his bed as soon as he finished his bath. The soda stains weren’t coming off his jacket sleeves anytime soon, but at least he felt clean. His mind was still a disaster, though.

 

He wanted to talk to Akechi, but at the same time, he didn’t know what to say. There was no reason to give him information anymore, and even if there was, Ryuji would feel awkward messaging him to hang out with everything that was going on. The Phantom Thieves’ last meeting was a clear reminder of how different everyone’s feelings towards Akechi were compared to his. They didn’t trust him in the slightest, and Ryuji felt weird putting up an act so that the others didn’t catch on to exactly how close he and Akechi were. Even so, with the way things were going, Ryuji would be seeing a lot more of Akechi these days.

 

His phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket. He tensed up, assuming out of habit that it would be a message from Akechi. After spending a minute preparing himself not to say anything stupid, he checked his inbox.

 

_Ren: There’s something I want your opinion on._

 

Ryuji let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. It was only Ren.

 

_Ryuji: Sure. What’s up?_

 

_Ren: It’s about Akechi._

 

This already didn’t sound good. He bit at his lip, staring down at the text. He needed to play it cool and keep up the impression that he hated Akechi’s guts.

 

_Ryuji: What about that bastard?_

 

_Ren: Do you think he’s telling the truth?_

 

That was quick. Then again, Ren was a smart guy.  Ryuji should have known that he would realize that Akechi’s story didn’t add up. There was a vital piece of information missing, and that was Ryuji’s presence in his life. Still, he had to direct Ren’s attention away from it.

 

_Ryuji: Akechi’s obsessed with the truth, isn’t he? Can’t imagine him lying._

 

_Ren: There was something that stood out to me._

 

Ryuji frowned, sitting up cross-legged on his bed. Did he screw up and act too friendly with Akechi in front of Ren? Hoping that wasn’t it, he pressed for an explanation.

 

_Ryuji: What’s bothering you?_

 

_Ren: That wasn’t the first time he heard Morgana speak._

 

 _It wasn’t?_ He thought. Ryuji furrowed his eyebrows, trying to recall a time when Morgana spoke around both Akechi and Ren. Nothing came to mind.

 

_Ryuji: When was the first time?_

 

_Ren: Think back to June. The last day of our field trip to the TV station._

 

That was when they met Akechi. It was also the day that he approached Ryuji with his fingerprint data. It was the day he became Akechi’s informant. For some reason, it all became very important to him. A deeper part of himself was even grateful it happened. It felt like forever ago, and they’d changed a lot since then. 

 

_Ryuji: What about that day?_

 

_Ren: Akechi asked us about eating pancakes._

 

_Ryuji: Yeah…?_

 

_Ren: Were you the one talking about pancakes back then?_

 

_Ryuji: Of course not. That was…._

 

It was Morgana.

 

 _Shit._ If Akechi heard Morgana back in July… there was no question about it. By that point, he would have already been to the Metaverse. Ryuji’s jaw tightened. Akechi knew about that world before they had even met. Ren texted again before Ryuji had a chance to process exactly how much lying Akechi had done.

 

_Ren: You get it, don’t you?_

 

Ryuji exhaled slowly, moving his fingers to reply.

 

_Ryuji: Yeah. I do._

 

_Ren: I talked to Morgana and Futaba about it after the meeting._

 

_Ren: We want to put a bug on Akechi’s phone. If we listened in on his calls, we might be able to confirm what he’s planning and why he’s lying about it._

 

Ryuji groaned, rubbing at his head. Akechi had become suspicious enough that Ren thought it was necessary to tap into his phone calls. 

 

This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. Recently, when he spoke to Akechi about the Phantom Thieves, he was enthusiastic with the expectation that Akechi would officially join the team someday. He said they’d welcome him with open arms and that they’d reform corrupt adults together. They could all be friends, and he wouldn’t have to sneak around to grab ramen with him anymore.

 

Some dream that was. 

 

Akechi wanted the Phantom Thieves gone, and Ren wanted Akechi monitored as a threat.

 

Ryuji hated this. He hated everything that happened to bring them into this terrible situation, but his mind kept reeling back to those four months Akechi had spent lying to him about knowing nothing of the Metaverse. What was the point of that? It irritated him to think that Akechi’s faith in him was so weak that he never mentioned it. Ryuji was afraid of finding out what he had done in the Metaverse alone for that long span of time. It couldn’t have been anything great, but he wanted to believe in Akechi so badly that it hurt. 

 

Ren sent Ryuji another text when he didn’t respond.

 

_Ren: Would you be ok with that?_

 

 _No_. _Hell no_. But what choice did he have?

 

If Akechi wouldn’t tell him anything, he had to do it Ren’s way. Ryuji couldn’t do anything to help if Akechi insisted on hiding everything from him.

 

_Ryuji: Why’re you asking me? Do whatever you gotta do._

 

_Ren: …Alright. Thanks._

 

_Ren: Keep an eye on him for me._

 

_Ryuji: Why me?_

 

_Ren: No special reason._

 

_Ren: See you tomorrow. Sleep well._

 

_Ryuji: Yeah. Good night._

 

It was pointless saying that. Ryuji doubted he would sleep well tonight. Especially now that Ren was counting on him to ‘keep an eye on’ the exact person he was trying to cover for.

 

All he could do was hope that nothing amiss came from bugging Akechi’s phone. There was no doubt in Ryuji’s mind that Akechi was a good person. Maybe the secrets he was hiding weren’t as big of a deal as he seemed to make them. With any luck, Akechi’s previous trips to the Metaverse were short, coincidental, and had nothing to do with the Phantom Thieves.

 

In the end, those were only empty ideas to comfort himself. Ryuji knew Akechi well by now, and he wouldn’t hide something like this unless it was very big. Ryuji rolled over to his side and grabbed his phone, staring at Akechi’s contact page. Against his better judgement, he texted him.

 

_Ryuji: Do you trust me?_

 

He didn’t get a response after that. After pulling his blanket over himself, he played on his phone in hopes he’d get a reply soon. At some point, Ryuji’s exhausted kicked in and he couldn’t stay awake any longer. 

 

In the early morning, he’d find a notification from Akechi.

 

_Akechi: More than anyone else._

* * *

 

It wasn’t hard to get to Sae’s Palace. Akechi already had the information on it, so all they had to do was stand in front of the courthouse and watch as the scenery around them changed into a flashy casino. It was too shady-looking for Ryuji’s taste, but he had to admit it was a hell of a lot better than Kamoshida’s Pervert Castle.

 

Ryuji stayed behind to look at the police station on their way in. He didn’t realize it was this close to the courthouse. If he could help it, he didn’t want to go anywhere near it. Police in the real world always hassled him with the assumption that he was a gang member or someone dangerous. It drove Ryuji crazy, so he wasn’t interested in finding out if the Metaverse's police would behave similarly.

 

Akechi joined him in observing the police station. Ryuji wasn’t sure why he seemed so interested in it, since it was doubtful that they were both wary of the police. When you got down to it, those guys were basically his co-workers. It was more like Akechi was lost in own head today, worse than he usually was. If Ren hadn’t shared his suspicions last night, Ryuji would have easily chalked it up to Akechi being new to the whole Palace infiltration thing. 

 

However, this was definitely not anything close to the first time that Akechi had entered the Metaverse. It was likely one insignificant piece in a long list of times that he’d jumped into the cognitive world. Ryuji’s own first experience with Palace infiltration was full of screaming, confusion, and pain. Luckily or not, Akechi didn’t have to deal with any of that right now. If anything, after months of sneaking around, he should be a pro. It scared Ryuji to think of everything Akechi could have already done.

 

In an effort to bring them both back to mental reality, Ryuji walked towards him. Flashing a playful grin, he elbowed him lightly.

 

“Are you scared?” He whispered.

 

Akechi blinked in surprise and glanced back at him. “No, of course not…”

 

“Then what are you spacing out for?”

 

“I could ask the same of you.”

 

“Tch, there you go, turning the question on me,” Ryuji said bitterly. “I thought you didn’t have anything else to say to me after last night.”

 

“That…” Akechi frowned. “That’s incorrect.”

 

“Good,” Ryuji said, walking over and matter-of-factly poking Akechi’s chest. “Because I have a hell of a lot left to say to you.”

 

“…Is this about what happened in the hallway?”

 

“W-What?!” Ryuji sputtered, pulling back. “That wasn’t what I meant…!”

 

Akechi always looked his most satisfied when he evoked this type of reaction from Ryuji. Pleased with his work, he turned on his heel and started walking away.

 

“Let’s focus on the task at hand.”

 

“Dumbass,” Ryuji grumbled quietly, following after him. “You say ‘focus’ right after you make me remember trying to kiss you?”

 

Akechi stopped. He didn’t turn around, but Ryuji swore he could see his ears turn red. 

 

“So you really were trying to…”

 

Ryuji blinked. He began to feel the color rise to his own face. 

 

“I thought it was obvious what I wanted to do!”

 

“Of course it was!”

 

The proud, unshakeable detective turned to face him in his effort to argue his point. He had an obvious pink tint decorating his cheeks. If Akechi felt satisfied getting Ryuji flustered, it was nothing compared to how fulfilled Ryuji felt when he made Akechi blush.

 

“Rather,” Akechi continued, brushing back a stray lock of hair from his face. “I assumed it was a mistake. You didn’t _actually_ want that to happen.”

 

“I did,” Ryuji said without missing a beat.

 

Akechi’s face grew redder. He brought a gloved hand up to cover his mouth in embarrassment. Ryuji awkwardly tapped his foot on the ground, avoiding eye contact. When Akechi didn’t say anymore, Ryuji spoke up.

 

“Even now, I think-“

 

“Ryuji? Akechi?” Haru interrupted, walking back towards them. “Is something the matter? I noticed you both fell behind…”

 

She broke off her sentence and inquisitively looked between them. It never ceased to amaze Ryuji how quickly Akechi threw away his real expressions and whipped out that TV face. He hated it, but at the same time, it was a life-saver in this situation.

 

“He was explaining the basics of Palace infiltration to me,” Akechi said calmly. “Ryuji’s logic leaves much to be desired however, so I’d prefer to hear it later from the rest of you.”

 

Ryuji’s eye twitched. “Hey!”

 

Haru managed a small smile in return. “Oh… I guess that makes sense. Don’t worry, we’ll fill you in on the details as soon as we can.”

 

Akechi nodded. “Thank you. Let’s hurry ahead, then.”

 

Haru led them back to the group. Ryuji tagged along after Akechi, glaring at him from behind. He really did hate that fake, prim and proper act of his. 

 

Once they caught up with the rest of the group, they rejoined the conversation about Sae’s Palace. It seemed they wouldn’t be considered threats until they stepped foot inside the building. Makoto pursed her lips in thought, then motioned to Akechi.

 

“That reminds me,” She said. “He’ll need a codename.”

 

Akechi raised an eyebrow. “Codename…?”

 

Ryuji felt a bit of relief at seeing Akechi genuinely confused about something in the Metaverse. Puffing out his chest in pride, he explained the concept to the genius detective. He’d show _him_ whose logic was lacking.

 

“Phantom Thieves can’t go around using their real name, right? It ain’t cool either.”

 

Akechi didn’t seem very amazed. “For reference, what are everyone else’s codenames?”

 

“Skull,” Ryuji said confidently.

 

Akechi gave him a blank stare in return. Ryuji couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about that look annoyed him. Before he could question it, the rest of the team sounded off.

 

“Mine’s Fox,” Yusuke said. 

 

Ann waved a hand dismissively. “We pretty much decided them on how we looked, didn’t we?”

 

Akechi furrowed his brows and turned to stare at Ryuji again. Ryuji fidgeted and muttered curses under his breath, trying to keep from blurting out a ‘ _What the hell are you doing in front of everyone?’_ at Akechi. Haru noticed the exchange and seemed curious in the same way as she did when she caught them before. At some point, she gaped and covered her mouth as if she finally realized something important. Makoto picked up on Haru’s odd expression and frowned worriedly.

 

“What is it, Haru?”

 

Haru pressed her hands to her own cheeks. “O-Oh, it’s nothing…”

 

Akechi crossed his arms, ignoring them. “Perhaps ‘Karasu’ would be the best codename for me. You know, like a raven.”

 

Ryuji deadpanned. Leave it to Akechi to pick the nerdiest-sounding name he’d ever heard in his life.

 

Ryuji smirked, joking. “Are your clothes all black or something?” 

 

Akechi held up a finger. “The reverse, actually. If our codenames are to hide our identities, wouldn’t that be better?”

 

Ryuji scrunched up his nose. He didn’t think of that when he came up with ‘Skull’. If his name sounded cool, then it was good enough.

 

“‘Karasu’,” Futaba repeated. “He’d be the only Japanese-sounding one.”

 

Ann beamed enthusiastically. “Why not go with ‘Crow’ instead?”

 

Akechi thought it over for a moment before nodded in agreement with Ann. Morgana clapped his paws together to signal the end of the discussion.

 

“Alright, from here on out, you’re Crow.”

 

“Got it,” Akechi replied. 

 

“Now then, let’s head into the courthouse!” 

 

With Ren leading the way, they approached the gaudy casino building. Akechi lingered towards the far back with Ryuji.

 

“Skull,” He said while trying to keep his voice low. “I’m supposed to call you ‘Skull’ now?”

 

Ryuji peered over at him. Akechi had a tensely smug look on his face, like he was trying hard to keep himself from laughing.

 

“Huh?!” Ryuji growled lowly. “What’s wrong with ‘Skull’?”

 

“It’s not very pleasing to the ear. It’s also far too intimidating a name for someone like you.”

 

“What’s not intimidating about me?!”

 

Akechi tapped his chin in thought. “…Everything?”

 

“For real?!” Ryuji blurted out.

 

“Shh!” Akechi paled and quickly pressed a finger to Ryuji’s lips. “Do you want to get caught?!”

 

“I-I’m not gonna get us caught…!” Ryuji stuttered, frozen by the sudden close contact.

 

“Then you need to be much quieter.”

 

With an indignant huff, Ryuji grabbed Akechi’s wrist. “Yeah, yeah, I get it.”

 

He moved to pull Akechi’s hand away from his face, but he was forced to stop halfway. Akechi pushed his hand down to meet Ryuji’s so that the palms of their hand would touch. Ryuji could feel the warmth of his hand through his glove. It felt nice, but he needed to keep his mind focused on the mission, and this wasn’t helping.

 

“Stop messing around,” Ryuji muttered.

 

“I’m not,” Akechi said softly. “But I can’t afford to do more than this.”

 

As quickly as he grabbed Ryuji’s hand, Akechi let go of it. He took in a small breath of air, brushed his gloved hands off, and resumed following the group as if nothing happened. Ryuji frowned and stared down at his own hand. The air seemed colder now.

 

Once again, he couldn’t make any sense of what Akechi was trying to say. Sometimes it felt like they were on the same page. That shared feeling between them was always fleeting though, because in an instant, it could change to where they felt miles away from what the other was thinking. He didn’t know what Akechi wanted and couldn’t tell which of the words he spoke were the truth among the lies. Ryuji was determined to get to the bottom of it all, circumstances be damned.

 

At this point, he knew it’d be risky to get any closer than they already were. Ryuji was as terrible an actor as Akechi claimed, and a simple friendship between them was hard enough to keep under wraps. Akechi knew that well enough while being oblivious to Ren suspecting him for sabotage. 

 

Even so, without fail, every time Ryuji saw Akechi, he couldn’t help but want to talk to him. There was so much that he wanted to learn about his life and what was running through his mind. He wanted to get closer to him. Akechi was interesting to Ryuji in a way he had never felt before.

 

Try as he might, Akechi was someone he couldn’t pull away from.

 

It was going to be a long few weeks in Sae’s Palace. The distance between them grew shorter and shorter with each moment, and Ryuji wasn’t about to stop it from happening.


End file.
